


Working Girls

by hotaryu



Category: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018), Heneral Luna (2015), Heneral Luna (2015) RPF
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Nicotine use, Office Setting, Sexual Harassment, alternative universe, working girls au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotaryu/pseuds/hotaryu
Summary: Three women working in 2020's Metro Manila. An ambitious but underpaid creative navigates the politics of a male-dominated startup. A shy and closeted lesbian freelancer struggles to come by her latest gig. Lastly, a shy and eccentric nurse finds herself in a pinch when her patient happens to be the current partner of her ex.Companion mix: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61IrX2UOkInYUyLUxo3tsu?si=RR8eY4OvTCCnYqMpRuSucg
Relationships: AdEnte, CorVes, EvaDes, Evaristo Ortiz/Lunasona, Gregorio Del Pilar/Poleng, Vicente Enriquez/Lunasona
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Independent Woman

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beautiful_as_endless](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautiful_as_endless/gifts).



> Desang, Corang, Tata, Esteng and Poleng do not belong to me. I have been given permission by their creators to use them for this fic.

The vision board was the first thing Addie saw when she opened her eyes at 5:20 AM. 

A neon green Post-It marked with Promotion, alongside yellow and magenta ones.

Promotion.

Condo unit. Financial freedom.

With that she got up and started her day. It was 7:30AM when Addie arrived in her office, at a building on the side of Eulogio Rodriguez Avenue, thirty minutes before the start of her schedule, after a rough attempt to ride. She’d almost not gotten inside the jeepney but she’d persisted, anyway. She tapped her Biometrics, her gray backpack clinging to her blouse, lifted the door, and got inside. She slid onto her cubicle, and put her bag down.

Early as always. She stole a look at the cubicle at the other end of the room, este co-working space. A tap then there it was: the whiff of the aircon, giving the room a gist of life, a sign that someone was here. She turned her desktop on, signed in and checked her email.

A glance at her office journal gave her what she needed. It was a Friday. She’d been here for two years now, and no doubt, there would be appraisal talks once again, as the office did yearly. 

She answered work emails, and rechecked her calendars. Copies for the next month, and some graphics to do. Adobe Photoshop, Hemingway, and it would be good to go within the morning at best. Afternoon, at worst. 

Ah yes, the approval of her supervisor, Sir Arty Ricarte. She was the copywriter and graphic artist, community manager here. Three jobs in one, getting paid for the worth of one job. 

“Aga mo, ah,” said a husky voice, and she looked up. Baby-faced and stern Vince Enriquez from the Legal department. 

“Lagi naman,” she countered. “Ikaw saks lang.”

“Trinapik ako.” Vince huffed. He craned his neck. “In advance ba ulit yan ke Sir Arty?”

“As always.” She flashed him one of her rare smiles, and he looked at the floor. 

“Si Torres malalate yan ulit.” Vince’s eyes danced in amusement. 

“He gets away with it. Lagi naman e.” Addie rolled her eyes. He’d been here longer than her. “Especially dahil pogi siya.” At dahil senior siya at dahil lalaki siya.

Of course, he did. He’d been here longer than her. Isidoro Torres was tall, slender, fair of skin, dark-eyed and dark-haired. Girls swooned over him easily at client calls and events. 

“Eh, ako, pogi ba?”

She did another once-over at her friend. He’d been her first friend here, this male-dominated office in Eastwood. Like Torres, he was tisoy… 

Oo naman.

“Balik ka na nga sa cubicle mo,” Addie grumbled. “Baka hanapin pa ako ni Sir Pole dahil nawawala ka. ”

“Masyado pang maaga.”

Inbox (1). She clicked her email. From: gregoriodelpilar@notiostudios.com

“Ano yun?” she heard Vince ask behind her. 

“For consideration for promotion ako as Content Head.” She sighed angelically. “Kaso, si Torresh kalaban ko.”

Vince gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Good luck. Lam mo naman dito. Sabi nga naman ni Sir Arty, it’s a man’s world.”

He was telling her the truth.

*  
Des didn’t forget to wash her face this time. Normally, she didn’t wash her face. She had nothing to lose, after all. Shift after shift, she’d played the part of attentive nurse. Rushed patients into the ER. Done her rounds. All a typical day's work. 

The muscles in her back had relaxed.  
When she’d gotten off the crummy CR to let Vio in and take a bath, she had left it fully- dressed in her nurse uniform. 

Her weekend had been quick. Today would be another Monday, back to her shift. 

She peered into the mirror. Her hair was still wet. Her face, still bare. She reached for her standard purple Ever Bilena lip tint. Dabbed it on her cheeks and lips. 

The baby powder was next. She usually oiled up so quickly, too… Easy as pie, she was done.

The patients hated it whenever she turned up at work bare-faced. Even the doctors, too. 

She patted her long wavy hair dry with her cotton towel. And there it was - the polaroid photo of her and him. 

Him: ethereal being, close to God. His sharp nose, tanned skin, full lips, aristocratic features. Her in the photo: fair, her luxurious brown hair tied up. Next to him, she felt like a mortal. But that was such a long time ago.

Come on, Des. Kaya mo to.

There was a tap on the door and Vio poked his head in the doorway.

“Des?”

“Yes?”

“Kape tayo.”

Des smiled.

“Sige.”

*  
Sisang wasn't there when Corang woke up today. 

Good for her, then, she supposed. Sisang was the reason why Imong had ran off, her beautiful brother with his tanned skin and lovely long waves of hair, deep-set eyes and long limbs. It had been three years since then and Corang had not heard from him. 

Then there was Sisang, with her crucifixes and rosaries and First Friday masses, and her sweeping the floors. Sisang was a package deal to live with and both Corang and Imong had known that.

Sisang was regular. Sisang never missed anything. Sisang could cook and clean and ironed and washed and kept to her schedule and Catholic practices and her Kerygma magazines.

And Corang was the exact opposite. She was short-haired, wore her shorts and sleeveless tops and silver necklaces and earrings and tended to her plants and groceries in this house.

While Sisang was gone by 8AM for her BGC office, Corang woke up by 10 and worked from home or came to her meetings and shoots.

The work could be bought home. 

But it was not regular but it suited her: her late nights, her silences and her shyness. As long as Sisang did not know. As long as Sisang did not notice. 

Corang opened her preloved Mac Air. She uploaded her new shoot to Behance, and poured herself a cup of cold Kopiko.

Then next agenda: uploading her latest shoot to Instagram. 

Styled by Querubin Gomez.

It excited her.

Her phone hummed and she checked right away.

Another notification from Bumble. She had avoided Tinder for… reasons. Bumble was another thing.

Bumble could wait.

*  
Notio Studios had been co-founded by Emilio Aguinaldo four years ago, alongside Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata and Macario Sakay. 

It had begun as a startup, and the growth had been rapid. Addie had joined Notio in its second year, during its hypergrowth, starting the same day as Vince. That year, Notio had opened slots for its in-house teams for legal matters and in-house advertising and marketing. 

With the hypergrowth, it was rare to see Sir Emilio - or rather, Sir Miong - around on the floor for the in-house marketing team. 

It was hard to miss his flat-top hair alongside Sir Ricarte's own head in the office, as the two men made a beeline for the private office that Sir Arty owned and worked in. 

It was a man's world here indeed. And it was hard to miss that, for all the women staff here, yet they were only a few. Carlota "Tata" Centida was the only woman in the legal affairs department, amongst Vince, Nonong Quezon and Serging Osmeña. The three of them were bar topnotchers; Vince had a good rank amongst them but he was a reliable team member. 

In the in-house marketing creatives department, it was between her and Torres and they both answered to Sir Ricarte directly. 

Torres could come as late he could be and get away with it and just click away on his InDesign and Photoshop. 

But Addie had little room for him to help her out in her own share of tasks, especially when Torres made her wait for so long before he could give her her deliverables. The question played further in her mind, in her brain, most of the time, ever since her newbie days here. When it came from Sir Ricarte directly, Torres could deliver and give on time.

But she was always waiting for him that she had to nag. 

In front of Ricarte and Miong and Sir Andy, he was their efficient multimedia designer, fast and attentive.

But to her, he was that bruhang multimedia designer who took his time too slow. Anong klaseng teammate ka ba? 

But he had been here far too long. And it was a thorn in her side. He would be tough competition for her promotion even if she knew she had better work habits than him.

Greg Del Pilar passed by Torres' cubicle. Greg was another one of the office heartthrobs. He was also part of the HR team, and a favorite of Sir Miong. The stupid pest followed.

Greg stopped by her cubicle.

"Gusto ka rin makita ni Sir Ricarte and Sir Miong sa office ni Sir Ricarte."

Addie got her phone and followed.

The buzzing of the aircon greeted them inside Sir Ricarte's office.

"How are you?" Sir Miong rubbed his temple and looked up. 

Sir Arty glanced around them. 

Torres chuckled.

"Ayos lang po," she replied. Even if for two years, it was uncomfortable to be the only woman in a room full of men. 

"Sinummon ka namin dito dahil mas maganda mainform na rin kayo in person," Miong went on.

Sir Ricarte grunted. "We've seen you two grow from your early days here at Notio Studios. Since we are expanding at 200 percent, it also applies to our team. We're considering both of you for the Creative Content head for Marketing."

Miong smiled grimly. "Congrats, Sir Sid and Ma'am Addie."

Addie nodded calmly. 

"Salamat po."

She turned to look at Torres who laughed. 

"It's no problem." He patted his pocket. "Yosi break muna ako, Sirs."

"Go ahead." Miong took a sip of his coffee. "May the best man win," he added.

But in Addie's head, may the best woman win.


	2. Good Girls Go Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addie unwinds. Corang relishes. Desang angsts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: lewd comments, nicotine use

Corang uploaded her work on her Twitter. She felt proud of it. Styling work was not really her specialty. 

It had been Imong's, she thought with a pang. The shoot had been for a magazine. 

It had been Sarah’s idea to pull her in. Sarah came from way, way back. A schoolmate from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, in Pureza station. It was a sketchy place.

Corang remembered being scared deathly of it. And being scared of the street when she was going home with a friend. Her friends had chided her. But in the end, Corang could not really help it.

That was the way she was: slow to change, cautious and nervous of the outside world. She hated her vegetables. She hated spicy food - even if she ate McDonald’s chicken. She feared the spices in her food.

She and Sisang had a late dinner at almost 8pm. 

“It was the traffic,” said Sisang, no-nonsense as ever, her dark eyes slits, her brown lipstick matte and fading. She wore no blush; just eyeliner, mascara and lipstick and her blazer and dress and pumps. She worked in BGC, left early and came home late. 

But she also did the cooking. And she also did the cleaning. 

“San trinapik?” Corang mumbled, an attempt to keep at conversation. It was always like this: silence, awkwardness, fumbling at straws when it was just her and Sisang. 

Sisang did not bat an eyelash.

“The usual.” She put the sliced Spam piece into her mouth. “Sa may EDSA, at Cubao.” 

“Commute as usual?”

“I was forced to taxi home.” Sisang eyed the sink. “Corang, can I trust you to clean the plates? Pagod nako, e.”

“Opo.”

“Good.”

Sisang yawned. She stood up, and left.

*

Addie checked the time on her desktop. 4:20 PM. Forty minutes till the end of her schedule - and the workweek. 

Unreliable Torres was on his second _yosi_ break. Not that the yosi break was rare here. It was, ironically, pretty common. Vince, Miong, and even Torres, she knew to frequent the other side of the building of Notio Studios when it came to the _yosi_ break. 

In this line of work, it was either caffeine or the _yosi_ . You could ask former copywriters who had worked in the bigger companies like Ogilvy, and you would hear the same. Vince chose _yosi_ , Greg his caffeine, and Addie? Addie had none. 

Forty minutes till the end of her shift, and she had no reply from the message she had sent that stupid Torres. 

She clicked _Hangouts._

_Sir Sid, I’d like to follow up your deliverables. The 500 x 500 images for the Organic ad._

She hit Send.

Her Hangouts bubble popped up. A reply from Torresh, huh? _Sana lagi, no._ She eyed his cubicle. There he was, bending down, his cigarette hanging from his fingers. If he wasn’t so fucking incompetent, then she could’ve gone out with him, she thought in annoyance. 

She could smell his smoke from here. She redirected her focus back to her desktop.

_Eto na, honey._

Attached to the message was the 500 x 500 image. 

The message felt like a jab to her. She felt her breath hitch, her ribs hammering. 

This isn’t the time to get anxious, Dels, she told herself. Her fingers did the messaging for her. 

_Thanks._

Her phone hummed, and she took her phone out. Her Facebook Messenger had a new message.

She checked the sender.

 _Vince_.

 _Ano na naman gusto ni Ulul?_ Don’t get her wrong; he was the person closest to her in this office, but he could be clingy. 

Dels, may balak ka ba after work?

Oo naman, she typed back. 

His answer was quick.

Gusto mo ba uminom?

 _Bakit naman_ , she fired back. _Don’t you and your girlfriend have a date?_

 _Busy siya e_.

Vince’s girlfriend was another story. She’d already been introduced to her. Clara was of an age with him; Addie was two years younger than Vince and three years younger than Greg. Clara was slim, had her curves in the right places and could easily win you over with a _hi_ and a wave of her hand. She was pleasant and knew what to say at any moment, self-assured and charming and unlike her boyfriend, worked in BGC.

“Kamukha niya si Nadine Lustre,” Addie had told Vince the Monday after Vince had introduced Clara to her. That was two years ago, too, when she had been new. Vince had easily warmed up to her, and vice versa. The Nadine Lustre comment had been meant in a good way. 

Like, hello, Addie had a crush on Nadine Lustre. Our president Nadine Lustre. Vince had laughed and taken it well. 

Bakit busy? She typed her sentence. Poked Send in her phone. 

Overtime daw. 

Oh, she could sense his disappointment. Did he need a distraction? Addie rarely went out for drinks. She was milktea and burgers to Vince’s coffee, beer and steaks and Greg’s coffee, arroz ala cubana combos. Three peas in a pod, the office replacement for Greg’s older brother, Jools, who worked in Ortigas. 

Sama ba si Greg? 

_Kung gusto mo_ was the quick reply.

Bakit ba gusto mo ng drinks? 

She clicked on her work FB, and now, onto the Facebook Ads Manager. The approved copy and graphic, input. 

Her work was done. 

Why not? Vince fired back. She checked the watch again. Heh. 4:59. She closed her windows. Turned her desktop off. Her bag was ready. Friday was a bitch to go home in. 

She could use a distraction. 

_Let’s talk. Outside. Magsisign out na ako._

Her phone hummed.

_Fine._

She unplugged her desktop and put her phone inside her backpack. 

*

Des had gotten a Grab home. Her shift had extended. By the time she had arrived, Vio had laid out mashed potatoes for her. 

He’d already texted her in advance; he had a meeting. Typical Vio. She ate alone, in silence, bewildered by the sudden events of the day and week. Hospital life always surprised her, but that was the way things were here as a nurse.

She opened her Facebook and scrolled up and down.

Memes. She shared them on her feed. But she stopped scrolling when she saw **_him_ **.

She put her phone down. 

_Des. Bakit ka ganito?_ She put her phone down in her bed and got her towel. With a tissue, she wiped the fading lip tint from her face. 

She had always, always prided herself on being one who would liberate her significant other when it came to romance. The same had been for her and Vio; now they were living together in peace.

She was a nurse. Vio was managing a winery business and a startup; he divided day and night for them. 

And yet, when it came to this ethereal, godly being, she supposed he had always had had that effect on her. The age gap was one thing. But the chemistry and bond they’d had was different compared to her and Vio.

Oh Lord.

Why was she this weak?

She checked her contacts. The name of a friend. 

She clicked Call. She would really need to sort this out.

*

Addie barely felt her phone hum (a call), as Vince got out of the building. At work, he was very handsome with his hair combed and parted to the left, instead of letting it hang.

 _Dude has a girlfriend, man_ , she told herself. 

“Aber, bakit mo gusto uminom?”

Vince shrugged. 

“Ano masama sa inom?” 

“Are you having problems with Clara again?”

“Bakit ka tanong nang tanong?” Vince sighed. He felt for his pocket, his gaze fixed far away.

“Ano masama pag nagtanong?” she snapped back.

“Ang kulit mo, Dels.”

“It’s a man’s world.” Addie shrugged. “Kailangan ko naman ito gawin e.” 

Vince turned back to her. 

“Ayaw mo ba icelebrate yung nomination mo for Content Head?” He forced a rare smile. 

He had a point.

“Pwede,” she surmised, giving in. 

“That’s settled, then.” He laughed. “Gusto mo ba sa Poblacion? Di ko bet kasi uminom sa Pop-Up diyan sa Katipunan.” 

Addie snorted. 

"Picky ka, ah."

"Nagsalita ang picky." Vince shook his head. "Panay estudyante andon. Ikaw, ano ba gusto mo?"

She paused to think. Pop Up was always full of students from nearby. Maybe she needed to be away from Katipunan at some point. No one would mind. They had their own lives at her house. 

"Poblacion." She thought of bars with neon lights, changing at every turn. She looked up at him. "So sino magbabayad ng inom natin?"

“Ako na manglilbre.”

“Ako dapat.”

Vince laughed. He took out his car keys. Beeped on it. His white Vios, easy to notice. He opened the door. Gestured for her.

"Bakit?" She felt her cheeks flare up. It was embarrassing. 

“Don’t worry about it, Dels. Basta ba ikaw.” 

She held up a hand.

"Wait lang. Tawagin ko si Greg. And _then,_ lalarga na tayo."

"As you wish."


	3. Tila Tala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addie and the boys go drinking; Corang chases a lead. Another day in Desang's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: alcohol

She rode shotgun, Vince driving, while Greg was typing away on his iPhone to one of his hookups, that he was going to Poblacion. 

"Magiging Content Head na si Dels," Goyo drawled, looking up from his phone.

"Stiff competition," replied Addie. "Mas senior si Isidoro Torres. By a few months din."

Vince kept his eyes on the road.

"Mas deserb mo yung promotion kaysa kay Torres. Everyone in the office should know." Greg lazily lounged in the back. "May mga resibo kaming HR to back you up."

Vince lifted a brow.

"Resibo?"

Greg's face paled then fell.

"Technically…" He laughed nervously. "Alam niyo naman record ni Torres e."

Addie shrugged. 

"Kinama niya si Candy, di ba? Tapos within three days, naspot siya kasama ni Miss Julie sa me Legal Department tapos natanggal si Miss Julie ng HR, di ba?" Addie knew the rumors and incidents that involved Torres.

He and Greg were the satyrs in Notio Studios. Madali habulin at manghabol ng babae. 

But Greg knew consent.

Torres did not. Addie was certain about that. She'd spent hours studying him especially when she was new in this world of men.

Greg laughed nervously.

"Minor lang yung offense kasi ni Miss Julie." He scratched an ear. "If it were up to us HR, di namin siya papakawalan."

Vince's eyes dimmed. His hold on the car wheel tightened.

"So it was an order from above, no?" Addie sighed. 

"Me influence e." Greg cursed lowly.

 _Kaya lagi akong ingat,_ Addie thought. _Para di ako masaktan o di mapunta sa trouble._

She would not put herself in the line of trouble.

Greg's phone rang.

"Sino yan?" Vince asked.

"Ah, HR from our sister company, Aptiview." The Lunas ran Aptiview. HR branding. Greg put the phone to his ear. "Yo, Poleng, musta. Ah, papunta kami ng Pob. Iinom."

He paused. Proceeded to **_giggle_ ** in glee. "Sige. See you Sunday."

Vince stole a look at her. 

Addie sighed.

Greg didn't **_giggle_ **. He was usually casual with his women.

This was a change.

Greg put his phone down.

"Me date ka sa Sunday?"

"Ehe." Greg grinned like Naruto. "Bakit?"

"Galing siyang sister company natin," Addie replied. "Hindi ba mej deliks yun kasi magkakilala managements natin and magsister companies companies natin."

Greg pouted. "HR ako. HR siya. We know what we're doing."

"Sure, Jan," Vince replied but he almost erupted in teasing laughter. "Kayo pala niya, ha. Sneaky ka rin, ha!"

Greg pouted.

"Friends lang kami." He huffed. "Sus, googoo eyes nga kayong dalawa ni Dels jan e."

"Friends lang kami." Addie looked outside. "Vince has Clara, I have work." 

Vince rolled his eyes. "Trapik." He scratched his neck. 

*

The arrival at Poblacion was worth it. 

Addie got her friends a seat. From her seat, she could see her friends definitely eliciting interested stares from women.

Okay, fine, _pogi sina Vince at Goyo._ What could she do? They were dressed to the nines, in their button up shirts and neat hair.

She wasn't conventionally attractive as they were, with her long, messy wavy hair held up by a clamp and her mousy man's polo and slacks. 

"I'd like a margarita," she told the bartender. "Yung green."

Vince held a hand up. "Red Horse."

"Smirnoff," said Goyo. "I like it with ice. Lots of ice."

The bartender placed their drinks in front of them.

"Don't think too much about Torresh," Greg assured Addie. "Enjoy ka muna. Masyado kang uptight, gorl."

"Ako? Uptight?" Addie huffed. "Di kaya."

"Kelan ka ba huling uminom?" Greg narrowed his eyes at her. "Kelan ka ba huling kumarat?"

"Ah, six months ago." Addie shrugged. Social drinking. "Sa may kasal ni Kuya Manolo ke Ate Ninay. As for karat, I know not the word."

Vince's phone started buzzing. He sighed and sipped at his beer.

Greg turned to him. "Bro, yung phone mo. Sagutin mo."

Vince sighed. He answered his phone. He rolled his eyes then put it down.

"Anyare?" Addie asked him. 

"Nakipagbreak saken si Clara."

Vince furiously chugged at his beer.

_Welp._

*

Her friend had not picked the phone up. Desang had put her phone down. 

She had no energy nor time to spare with the messiness of her Facebook feed. The whole thing was polluted by political posts and memes. She also wished to avoid seeing some unsavory posts from the side of the family who was supporting politicians who she did not personally like and support especially with their policies. 

A lot had happened in the past two years. Avoiding Facebook for now was a mere exercise to her. 

Laying low was a Desang move.

She heard the toilet inside the CR flush yet she did not blink. There was no one inside the house aside from her, with Vio being busy as heck on his startup. It was not the first time that this had happened.

She knitted in peace to pass the time. The form of a yellow baby bird soon was produced. It was originally going to be stuffed but with her budget and resources, crocheting it was the more feasible choice.

"Ano ipapangalan mo diyan pag natapos mo na siya?" Vio had asked her when she had begun the project.

Desang had shrugged. 

"Bayani?" She had meant it as a joke but the name had stuck. 

A cute baby bird the color of honey, magnificent and precious, bearing the greatness of a true hero. 

_Bayani_. 

Maybe she would make more. The thread was more enough. A toy, and a keychain for her bag when she commuted all the way to the hospital.

Yeah, she could and would bet on that.

*

Despite the tiredness of her shift, Desang could not sleep. An attempt was made, but she did not go with it; there was another twist of the doorknob and she rolled her eyes and got up.

Back to her pet project. She got out of her bed, and opened her shabby desk lamp. The yellow crochet thread and needles, and then she rushed onto the first floor. Her black mug.

Got out one teaspoon of sugar and three tablespoons of her powdered black coffee. Hot water was coaxed out of the large hot flask. She stirred her mug, and took it with her to her little setup for crochet.

She did not start working until she finished her coffee.

She kept crocheting despite it all: the heat of the room, the weakness of the electric fan to drown the heat off and the occasional lone turning of the door.

Or the sudden thumps on the stairs that led to the first floor of her house. 

Desang was a nurse. And nurses had little room for fear to give in. 

Vio arrived by 3AM. There was a knock at the door, and she was having her second cup of coffee.

Vio peered inside.

"Yo, Des."

Des waved lightly at him. 

Vio paused to take a glance at her work. 

"Bayani."

"Mhm."

Vio poked the golden thread.

Des observed him. His dark brown eyes were lovely. He had the _tisoy_ looks from his Western lineage. His ancestors were from Europe like hers. She could smell the perfume from his neck.

And she could easily name the scent. _Gucci Envy._

"Gagawa ka ba ng isa pang Bayani?"

"Oo."

Vio nodded. "Pwede bang pagawa rin ako?"

If he had asked her this years ago, maybe she could have given in.

"Bayaran mo muna ako," said Desang tartly.

"Magkano?"

Vio lifted his chin.

"Three hundred to four hundred pesos." Desang tapped her chin. "Flat rate muna. Depende sa size."

"No problem." His voice was almost a song of relief. 

He eyed her mug.

"Patimpla na rin ako ng kape."

"Sure. Wala pa naman akong balak matulog."

*

Corang yawned. God. She hated being bored to death.

She opened her secondhand laptop, scrolling past her social media for ideas. In one tab, her Pinterest account was open.

Bumble could wait.

For one, she could just look for opportunities. She needed money somehow. But it did make her feel oddly small and little and mediocre whenever Sisang asked her about how she earned her keep.

_Bakit di na lang mag full-time?_

_Ayaw mo ba mag agency?_

Corang had shrugged. She'd looked at her plate; she was just out of college that time, had barely scraped by financially to make ends meet to pay the tuition. 

There were too many things she could not say. Too many things she could not explain to Sisang.

ICAP had been recommended by fellow creative friends but meh.

Twitter it was.

 _Looking for a stylist_ , the post said.

Corang clicked the envelope button on the profile of the ad poster.

She sent her a quick message followed by a link to her portfolio.

Hopefully she got it soon.

It was afternoon when she got a call.

"Is this Querubin Gomez? I'm Celeste Hernando, yung nagpost ng ad." Celeste spoke in a slight Kapampangan accent. "Ako yung Producer for the shoot and nagpost ng ad. Naimpress ako sa work mo." She laughed almost _nervously_. "Familiar yung iyong surname."

Corang blushed. 

"O-okay."

"I want to work with you." Celeste cackled. It sounded like one of those _ojou_ ladies from the animes Corang watched.

"Magmeeting ba tayo?"

"Yes. I'll tell you the time and place. Sige. I'll text you na lang."

She hung up.


	4. Tala

Starbucks. Corang eyed the sign blaring. She'd taken the jeep all the way here, with her preloved laptop and trusty preloved pocket wifi. She was late by a few minutes. She found Celeste Hernando, sipping on a strawberry frappe, her Mac open. Most seats were filled. The noise and smell outside drifted off from Corang's senses as soon as she clambered over to Celeste's side. 

Celeste was tall, with a pair of blue eyes and brown lipstick-covered lips. Her dark brown hair was loose and curled. She looked like what Corang imagined Snow White to appear in real life.

"Ako si Corang…"

Celeste pointed to the seat facing her. 

"Sit there."

Corang followed.

Celeste turned to her

"Our model won't be arriving here." She laughed lightly. "Me isa pa siyang booking e."

Celeste looked up at her.

"So let me get the roles straight, ah. Ako magdidirect, ikaw magstastyle."

Corang nodded

"I also do um, postprocessing," she added shyly.

Celeste raised a perfectly arched brow.

"Ok." She took out a notepad and made notes. "Sige. Gotcha."

Corang tapped the floor with her foot. Light taps, her leg shaking a bit.

"Yung concept kasi high fashion. Ang gagawa ng backdrop si Gail. She's an art director. She's worked with plenty of names na and brands. Notio Studios, Lichauco Tech Ventures…"

Her voice trailed off.

"Me specific um, palette ka na ba in mind?"

Corang blinked.

"Yes." Celeste handed Corang a piece of paper. "It's a tropical vibe."

The palette was magenta against a bright neon yellow green. Some accents of a cool-toned purple… Sheer satins, velvet. Gentle on the eyes. Maybe she could get outfits curated and all done up, too. The aesthetic seemed oddly familiar.

More papers. There were pegs, Corang realized, for the posing for the model. Some prints, especially florals but solid colors would also do. Moodboards, too...

Corang thought of her wardrobe at home. Oh, there were things that could fit…

"Got it." Corang poked the paper. "Sino pala kukuha ng photo?"

"Si Gail."

*

Addie woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. The sunlight poured inside her spacious room. Books lined her shelves; two tables on the right. Skincare, her laptop, makeup that she barely used but acquired from her more girly friends. Her mirrorless camera.

It had been a long night.

She checked the caller.

Vince. She tapped her phone.

"Ang aga naman," she grumbled. 

"Buti nagpick up ikaw, Dels."

His words to her yesterday came flooding back in her head.

_Basta ba ikaw._ Ew. She shied away from it. She had given up a lot of things to be able to make herself capable in the eyes of her fellow employees.

She could not let them see her cry. She had stopped wearing makeup as well. She had so many sacrifices to be able to fit in. She had made so many adjustments to be able to be where she was at. 

_Mag-adjust ka o magresign ka_ , had been the advice of the HR head, Sir Sebio Roque, an overly religious man, on her arrival on her last interview.

She remembered the judgement, the stares. Even back then, it was a man's world in Notio Studios. She had turned up wearing her pearl earrings, her hair wavy round her shoulders and velvet lip tint painted on her lips and some tightlining.

She remembered Greg withering under Sir Roque's rule, but had smiled on her. A lot of memories she ignored. She had to keep fighting.

"Um… Ano problema?" She reached for a wet facial wipe and wiped her sleeping mask off her face. 

"I wanted to say thank you." Vince's voice dropped lowly. "Yun lang."

_Ok then_ , Addie wanted to say. At the same time, she found herself hesitant.

"Wala lang yun." She finger-brushed a tangled wave. "Sorry about Clara."

_Ew, feelings._

"Oks lang. Inasahan ko na yun. Iba na laman ng isipan niya." A pause. "Ako dapat magbrebreak up sa kanya…"

Vince scowled.

For a minute, she thought of him, holding his phone, his veined and muscled arms…

_Shuta. Bawal to. Illegal to. Ayoko na._

Did Clara mean much to him? She wanted to think so..

"Did she… just dump you na di sinabi bakit…"

_Di ako therapist._

"Tumawag ako pagkauwi."

Addie facepalmed. _Eto tayo sa mga tanga sa love._

"Ano sabi niya?"

"Gusto raw niya iprioritize career niya. Gets naman…" 

Addie sat on her bed.

"Oh."

"Gets naman, pero, you know, I want kids… I don't think I'm getting any younger…"

"Sungit mo kasi."

"Di… kaya…" 

"Oo," she grumbled. "But yeah go ahead. Anong age mo ba gusto na magka-kids ka?"

"Hm. Sa 30s ko."

She caught what he wanted with the quick reply.

"Di naman end of the world. I know it might hurt… pero may time pa naman!" she found herself chirping to him, suddenly an old shadow of herself. "Normal lang masaktan… Magheal ka muna…"

Silence

"... Sige. I'll try."

"That's better."

At the edge of her head, she wondered if it was that easy for him to go and feel weak. It was different compared to the Vince she saw at work, cranky and surly and efficient.

Suddenly her first breakup in college did not hurt at all. 

"Salamat, Dels. Babawi ako sa iyo. Promise."

"Wag na. Wala yun."

When she put her phone down, she wished hard that it was easier at work somehow. The two years were an exercise at self-control. 

And those minutes were enough to challenge what she thought she knew about moving in a man's world. 

*

Corang had to admit it was oddly nice to scour the _ukay_ with Celeste. She did not mind the heaps of clothes she had on her arms. They had parted on good terms, before Corang had left for home. All that was left would be the model and the photographer. Gail was good, really good, according to Celeste. And Corang couldn't wait to meet her.

For once in her short life, Corang was really looking forward to it. Maybe it would be her big break. She'd been in the sidelines for a while. She was as late as it was. It was only during her graduation period in PUP that she started doing _**these**_ _kinds of things._ Late nights, overtime work, weekends in studios. Sisang had not liked them.

"Be regular," said Sisang. "Get a nine to five job. Para di ka lagari nang lagari," she had gone on. 

The opportunity to work with Gail though... Corang would not let it slip as easily. 

*

**BONUS:**

Sisang found her perched in front of her laptop. 

"Kumain ka na ba?" 

Corang shook her head. She had... forgotten to.

Sisang sighed. She put a plastic bag in the table in front of Corang. Inside were styrofoam containers. _Jollibee_.

"Kain ka na muna."

Corang nodded. 


	5. Spoliarium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addie has a mishap. Corang struggles. Desang meets someone new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: sexual harassment and anxiety; vape usage

She did not know if it was just her or the air. Vince seemed different today.

He came in early, 7:30 AM and smiled at her. His hair was newly cut, the collars of his shirt newly ironed. He smelled nice, too. 

"Morning, Dels."

"Morning," she replied back, looking up from her now-open desktop.

_ You look good _ .

"What's up?"

"Work as usual," Addie mumbled.

Vince stopped walking. Just in front of the trash can near her desk. He got something from his pocket.

He tossed the box of cigarettes from his pocket inside the trashcan.

She focused her attention back to her desktop. Content calendar for the next month.

There was also the matter of the Analytics.

She remembered getting a bad headache everytime she typed furiously to calculate them. 

Torresh was early, too. 

"Morning, honey."

_ Go fuck yourself. _

She ignored him. Ignored the ribbons twisting and churning inside her stomach, or the sudden coldness of her hands.

She had that feeling around him.

As much as she churned from her desktop her deliverables this week, she did feel watched.

_ Dels, ayos ka lang ba? _ The chat popped on her Hangouts. Vince.

_ Oksc lang. _ She breathed in. Breathed out.

_ Kasama ko si Greg atm. _

She closed her eyes. She wished the feeling would just go away.

But it didn't.

_ Dels?  _

She looked around. Torres was fiddling something with his desktop, eyebrows knit together.

_ I don't think you're feeling well _ , came Vince's reply.  _ Wait lang. I'll go to your cubicle mamaya. _

She saw Vince from the stairwell, onto this floor. She saw him ignore Torres bent over his desktop in consternation. She saw Vince nod at her before going outside.

She turned back to her desktop.

How badly did she wish to go to her content calendar.

She felt the tightness of her chest. The room suddenly seemed too stuffy. She rose from her seat, walk over to the door, leave the office and onto the building hallway.

Finally, outside. Near the area designated for yosi break.

She tried.

Breathe in. Breathe out. But her palms were sweaty and her head was spinning with the dizziness and the two year old fear of fucking up

She heard the building door close, and the next thing she knew, she smelled vape. When she turned, it was Torres, eyes brown under the sun, holding out his vape. 

He put it down.

"Magyoyosi ka ba, honey?"

She couldn't move. 

"Masyadong masikip dun sa opis." Her words were sharp like knives.

He moved closer. His hand suddenly was on her butt and moved up to her hip. 

_ Kasalanan ko to _ . Her lip wobbled, and she found herself stepping away.

Her ears were ringing. 

"What's the problem, honey?" Torres was laughing. 

"Bad sushi," she said, before running off.

*

She didn't know long she was in the CR.  _ Kasalanan ko ito! Kasalanan ko ito!  _ But a she could do was cry in fury, the tears hot and raw.

"Dels?" The door slowly slipped, and in came Vince with his nice perfume, new haircut. 

His face twisted when he saw her, crouched and red-eyed and pale, on the floor. 

"Alis ka, Vince." She looked away. "Kasalanan ko to."

"Bakit naman ako aalis." He scowled and gently closed the door. 

"I'm fine," she tried. "Kasalanan ko ito." 

He sat beside her.

"You're not fine. May nangyari. Kilala kita."

She bit her lower lip.

"I can ask Greg na maghalf-day ka na and magleave." 

She opened her mouth to protest.

"Yung content calendar ko!"

"It can wait. Di ka okay." Vince helped her get up. "Ihahatid na kita pauwi. Greg can cover for you."

She found herself nodding.

*

Vince handed her a large cup of milktea from her favorite milktea chain. Black Scoop. 

"Para sa iyo."

She nodded in silence.

"Pasensya na," she began but he gave her a sober look. 

"Di ako manghihingi ng explanation, Dels, sa nangyari. Whenever you're ready."

She looked at her milktea. It felt cold in her small hand. 

"Kahit nakakahiya?"

"Kahit ano. Mga kaibigan mo kami. We have your back."

She sipped on her milktea, content with that for now.

"Greg says you can take as long as you like. Marami ka pang leave credits."

*

The hospital was noisy today. Never mind the occasional ghost; it was enough for Des. As for Bayani, she had put him on as a keychain. A lucky charm. 

She was more curious about this new patient in the room she was assigned to. Dr. Apacible had referred her to the patient, after all.

She entered the room.

And there he was.

He was handsome but a shy-looking man; she estimated him to be a bit more than five feet. He had a long face and a beard, and beefy arms. A pleasant-looking face.

"Hello, Mr. Alejandrino." Desang smiled sweetly at him. "I'm Despoena Quila. I will be your nurse."

Mr. Alejandrino nodded at her

"So what can I call you for short?" He cracked a grim smile. 

"Desang. Or Des."

She took a small seat beside him. 

"You have a lovely name," he murmured. His gaze was polite. Respectful. She could tell. "Mythology, no?"

"Yes."

"Despoena…" He rubbed his bearded chin. "Hmm. Familiar."

Des had to laugh.

"Ok lang po, no need, Mr. Alejandrino."

"Wait." He propped himself up. "Masyado naman mahaba kung full surname ko ang itatawag mo sa akin, Miss Des."

"Well, what do you think?"

He cackled.

"Alejandrino is a mouthful. Jose will be fine."

"Very well, Jose." 

She looked around the room. There was no sign of a spirit here - or a person.

"Nasan yung visitor mo?"

"Wala yung significant other ko for now." Jose rested his head on the pillow. 

_ For now _ .

This was going to be rather interesting.

*

Filipino time. 

Due to the amount of stuff Corang was bringing over, she was forced to take a taxi to Zoomburst Studios. 

The first thing Corang saw was  **_her_ ** : The hip-length waves tied up and those cunning blue eyes. She was beautiful. Troye Sivan and Carly Rae Jepsen blared from the speakers. 

"You must be Querubin Jacobo." The woman avoided her eyes. 

The woman was oddly… familiar. She continued fixing the background. 

"Yes, I am. Um, Gail Jacobo?"

"Mm." Gail turned her back. "Nadala mo ba yung pinapasabi ko ke Estiteng?"

"Who's Estiteng?" Corang zipped her bag open. "And nasan yung model?"

Gail put her hands on her hips.

"Andito na siya. Estiteng did a couple of test shots with me and her kanina. Estiteng is doing her makeup."

"Wait. Sino si Estiteng?" Corang's voice cracked like a whip.

"Si Celeste." 

"Oh."

Gail sighed. "Ang slow mo talaga, kahit kailan, no?"

Corang said nothing.  _ Maybe she has a point. _

"Nasan yung model?" 

"Here."

And there she was, in a bathrobe, the model. Her lips were full. Her hair was a raven's wing. Her face was full. She was perfect. Her lips, painted a vampy cool-toned red, her hair curled and styled to the nines.

Corang felt herself blush. She was not a new face here, she realized. She had seen her face in various portfolios. 

"Vesper Mercado." She extended a long arm to Corang. 

Corang shook her hand gently.

"Querubin Jacobo."

Vesper smiled. "It's great to meet you!" 

"Um, same…"

Corang held up the clothes. From here on, her work was cut out.

Even if Gail was being a bitch. Fuck that family name.

Celeste fixed the lights, with Gail. 

Gail held out her DSLR camera. Corang could tell it was new. She wore the camera across her neck with a strap.

The strap bought Corang to another time. Back when they were three at her house, back when Imong would take portraits of Sisang. 

Corang had doubts. She went to Vesper and fixed her outfit if there were any creases and such that needed to be fixed.

Attention to detail was a skill needed and she tried not to fail.

“Jacobo ka, right?” Gail called after her. 

“Opo!”

“Kilala mo naman siguro si Imong, no?”

Corang glanced at her. 

Gail held her camera up. She clicked on it as Vesper changed poses. In front of the cameras, she was a natural. A goddess. 

“Oo,” admitted Corang. 

“I’ve heard about you… from him,” said Gail, eyes never leaving her lens. “Alam mo, miss ka na niya.”

Corang eyed her. She did not wish to get her hopes up. Imong had left them with nothing but pain and memories 

“He - They’ll see you soon.” Gail stepped further. She motioned for Vesper to move closer. 

*

Desang bade Jose bye at the end of her shift. He gave her a tight smile.

She felt light-hearted and light-headed, as she got her bag from the locker, put her jacket on, and made a beeline for the exit of the hospital.

The other nurses had said that his significant other rarely turned up. That was strange. It did seem rather too early to tell if Jose was a kindred spirit. But she liked the man and he was nice and it made her long hours more bearable.

The other nurses thought she was weird. Desang accepted it. So it was rare for her to socialize with them. 

She opened the door, to find Vio sitting in the bench near the taxi bay of the hospital. It was like he was waiting for her.

"Desang!" He stood up.

"Ba't mo ako inantay?"

"Hey. I wanted to give you a lift home, okay?"

"Vio naman. Tsk tsk." She shook her head. 

"Starbucks?" Vio grinned.

"Fine."

*

The shoot ended thirty minutes later than planned.  _ Kaya pala ang haba, _ Corang thought. As if she wasn’t used to it. 

Corang helped Vesper to the dressing room change.

"First time kitang makatrabaho," Vesper murmured. 

Corang nodded. "It is," she confirmed, casting an eye towards the exit door.

Vesper took her borrowed black boots off. She turned around. The dress had a zipper at its back.

Corang blushed.

"Can you help?" Her voice was placid.

"Um…"

"There's nothing to worry about," Vesper replied. Her voice turned velvety. "We're both girls, aren't we?"

Corang was glad it was a little dark here. 

She pulled the zipper down. Slowly. Oh, she had such lovely soft skin. It felt like eternity before the zipper was fully down.

"Thanks."

Corang stepped away.

Vesper turned to face her.

"Oh, bakit nahihiya ka pa?"

"Wala, wala talaga." Corang got the black boots and put them in her plastic bag. 

She avoided Vesper's gaze as she made her way to the exit of the dressing room. 


	6. Unavoidable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls run into unavoidable outcomes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: anxiety, trauma, sexual harassment

At night, she could not sleep; she decided to take two days of paid leave off. Her stomach kept twisting in ribbons still. 

She just could not force herself to go. The thought of Torres and his filthy fingers on her made her feel so disgusted at herself for not fighting back right away. It was her fault, she reasoned.

 _Did you ask for it?_ a voice in her head asked. 

She never wore skirts, dresses at work. Pants, polos, button-downs and blazers she wore. She never even made attempts to befriend the man in her whole two years here at work. She fell in easily with Vince and Greg and Tata, while Torres would spend his lunch sometimes with the higher ups. 

Sir Arty, for one…

But was it even when she did have team lunches and meetings with Sir Arty himself? Or was she fooling herself all along?

She didn't want to be too pushy, nor too forward in assessing the damage and risk of what had happened to her.

It was not the first time it happened to her. 

But it was the first time that it happened to her in the office. A place where it was not supposed to happen with her choice of words, choice of clothes.

Oh Lord. 

She was being unreasonable to herself, was she?

She lay in bed, watching Brooklyn 99 helplessly in between films on her trusty laptop. The hours went by quickly, in between distraction and the edge of her mind teetering on despair, doubt, shame and a thousand emotions. She felt hopeless. Lost. 

If she looked back, then she would be lost…

*

If it were not for Nico and Paulito este Ploo, then Desang could have had no social life this month outside of the setup with Vio and work. The commute from work was hell, screw the Quezon City Triangle traffic from the dang hospital.

Nico had messaged her via Facebook Messenger to invite her to a play of his. It was an adaptation of _El Filibusterismo_ and he was playing Basilio. 

Desang stole a glance at Vio, who was reading the newspaper. He had not yet touched the omelette she had cooked. 

_What time and date ba? How much?_

Desang tapped the Send button.

Nico replied quickly. It was a reasonable price - for Vio. For Desang, it was enough. _Sakto lang_. The date would be Saturday, 3pm. The venue was on AFP Theatre.

_Very well._

_Sige. Kita tayo dun mga 2:30pm. Paano pala bayad?_

Nico answered that they would have to pay directly in the venue.

_K thanks._

Desang sighed in relief. It was a good way to support a friend.

She and Nico went way back, way way back, when she was much younger and doing stuff to be able to pay for her extra fees. This was way before Vio and she had agreed to this cohabitation. 

Vio slowly started to eat his omelette. 

"This is really good, Des," he began.

Desang smiled. 

*

Addie's phone hummed. 

She picked it up. Put it to her ear. It was the second day off from work. 

"Ayun," said Vince.

She found herself grinning. For some reason. It felt good to hear his voice again. "Hinahanap ba nila ako? Yung content calendar ko?"

"Di sanay si Sir Ricarte na wala ka." Vince chuckled lowly.

"Si.. si Torres?" Her voice shook. "Andyan ba siya?"

"Oo." His voice lowered. "He's been slacking off more than usual."

"Lord."

"Yung mga resibo na kay Greg."

Perpek.

Addie wondered for a moment. Greg had all the receipts. And he definitely knew something about what went on with Torres. There was Apple. And then there was Miss Julie's case.

"Do you still have contact kay Miss Julie?"

"Si Greg yung mas madali lapitan diyan. Si Tata rin."

In the background, Addie could hear the last notes of Sino by Unique playing. Yeah, that was Tata. Definitely Tata.

The guitar riffs of the next song followed.

"Close ba si Miss Julie kay Tata?"

"Friends sila sa FB. Close din sila."

"Look, Vince, can you do me a favor?"

He paused for five seconds. In the place of dead air, the song filled it. UDD? 

_Natatakot ika’y mawala_

_Sa aking tabi_

_Namumuo ang lakas ng aking kalooban_

_Magmahal na muli._

"Oo naman."

"I can explain. I will explain later."

"Wait, ano binabalak mo ba?"

"Trust me on this."

"Dels."

"Vicente Enriquez, I want you to trust me. Di ba sabi mo, when I'm ready, di ba?"

He sighed. "Pero please. Be accountable."

"Oo naman."

Her head was spinning. "I need to talk to Tata, in private."

“Sige.” Vince gave a sigh. “Tata, kausapin ka raw ni Dels.”

“Yo!” Tata sounded chirpy as always. “Ano kelangan mo, Dels? Are you feeling better na?”

“Can you um, send me yung number ni Miss Julie? I need it for a proposed project for Marketing.”

“Sige. Give me a few minutes.” 

Addie could smell her slight disbelief. 

“Close ka rin kay Miss Julie, no?”

“We were friends.” Tata’s voice clipped. “Is this about -”

She was crossing the threshold, Addie realized. Did she give herself away too early? She had to be smart about this. In less than three days, here she was, scheming. 

“Maybe.”

“Maybe,” repeated Tata. “Sige. I’ll send you a direct message on Messenger na lang, ah, Dels?” 

“That would be better and appreciated.” 

*

Tata called her up.

“Is this yung nangyari ke Julie at Torres?” Tata asked her, voice quiet. The background was quiet. “Don’t worry, Dels. Wala na ako sa opis.”

“Um…”

“You can tell me,” said Tata in a firm voice. “Dels, open secret naman tong si Torres.” 

“Na piece of shit siya?” Addie’s mouth wobbled. 

“Oo!” Tata snorted. “Gurl, ikaw pa makakaalam niyan..”

Addie eyed her skincare stuff.

“You’ll rat me out, no?” She asked. Her heart sank. Torres was a hard enemy to fight. A hard enemy to defeat. “It’s a man’s world naman talaga.”

Tata must have noticed her mood. 

“Did he do something to you?”

She said nothing. Instead, she saw hazes. _Honey._ The sleight of his hand. The wrinkle of her pants. The heaving and breathing. The white tiles of the office restroom, the seconds that turned into minutes, her breath shaken, her head racing, ears ringing all over again. 

Tata tried again.

“Dels?”

“Y-Yes?” 

“Dels, I know what a sexually harassed woman looks like. Six out of ten women in this country experience sexual harassment.” 

Addie sighed.

“May ginawa sa akin si Torres. Isa siyang stupid motherfucker. I’ll be blunt, Tata. Did he do something kay Miss Julie?”

“Oo.”

“Pero may ebidensya ba siya?”

“... Yes and no.”

“Ok, good. In case lang you might need it, gurl, ask Kuya Tom for the CCTV footage. Let me know na rin if magpupush ka ng kaso.”

“... Sige. I.. I’ll think about it. Um, paano si Julie?”

“Nag-arrange na ako kausapin mo siya bukas, after work hours. Dun lang sa me Jollibee near work.”

“Oh. Okay. T-Thanks, Tata.”

“Syempre. Women supporting each other, di ba?”

Addie put the phone down and she smiled. Maybe, it’s a woman’s world, after all.

*

The afternoon sun sifted through the blinds of the window of the hospital room. 

Jose looked up from his phone when he saw Desang come in.

"Wala pa rin yung visitor mo," Desang noted. Still no one? That was sad.

Jose's mouth became a thin line.

"Busy sila," he said.

Desang sat down beside him. She took his stats slowly.

"Tell me about your loved ones," she said, making an effort to learn more. "Mga mahal mo sa buhay."

"Eh, ikaw?" Jose blushed.

"Uy, I asked you first."

"You first." Jose cocked his head. "Then me. Surely, Miss Despoena, you have a more interesting life than me." 

"I'm 25. Turning 26." Desang smiled. "Happily single. Career woman." 

"You're from a good family, aren't you? Your accent betrays you."

Desang did not blink. She studied her notes. " _Creollo_ mga ninuno ko." Her eyes found the giveaway. _Alejandrino_. "My folks had enough to send me to a good school." 

"Old rich din, no?" 

"I guess you can call them that."

"Siblings?"

"Eldest." 

"Ahh."

"Boyfriend?"

"Mayaman ako… Sa mga ex."

Jose snorted 

"Mga… apat sila," Desang began, almost eagerly. "Mapagpalaya akong kasintahan."

She adjusted the bed.

"At ngayon, single ka," he noted.

"Opo." 

"Mahilig ka ba sa kape?"

"Opo."

Jose cackled. 

"Good. Kamusta mga kapatid mo?"

"Kasama pamilya ko." 

The youngest was; it was just the two of them. Desang was waiting for him to go to college. So he could join her and Vio. A little independence never hurt anyone. "Dalawa lang po kami."

"Kami, marami-rami. Mas matanda ako sa iyo; it should make sense."

"At tiyak na maykaya kayo," Des replied cheekily. "Alejandrino. Old rich. Arayat, Pampanga, di ba?"

There was a small rustle.

"Mayaya nga." Jose noted. "I have a younger brother, you may hear about him sa news."

"Artista ba siya?"

"COO. Chief Operating Officer ng Magdangal Group of Companies. They have stocks in business na part ng arts and humanities community in the Philippines."

Hmm. It rang a bell. They had sponsored one of Desang's gallery exhibits.

Desang nodded.

"Bibisita ba siya?" 

Jose said nothing.

*

Corang didn’t want to think about Vesper. Her red lips. Her pale skin. Her long legs. Her presence. Her presence was overwhelming, her soft, supple skin and her perfume. 

She didn’t want to think about the looks Vesper gave her. 

It was too much, too overwhelming. She didn’t want to look at Vesper, at the woman and her power. Every time Corang thought about her for a week, she felt like weeping.

She went to Bumble.

All she wanted to do was blast the stupid woman out of her head, even when she had finished editing the video and colorgrading the photoshoot. 

Sam, 20.

Too young. She swiped left.

Lucia, 27.

Too old.

Another swipe left.

Ves, 23.

Fuck. She swiped right.

A few hours later, her phone vibrated.

 _You and Vesper matched_.

Another hum.

_Yo! Andito ka pala sa Bumble. -v_

Corang tried not to panic. She took her phone. Oh God. How not to be a wreck?

Um, yeah, she sent back.

_V: Ooh. Kita tayo._

_C: Kelan?_

_V: Bukas. San malapit sa inyo?_

_C: Kahit Cubao or Morato._

_V: Sige. Starbucks?_

_C: G._


	7. Sino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desang runs into an old friend. Addie gets a new project. Corang learns something new.

The sign of Mr. Aguinaldo’s flat top hairstyle was an omen that things were indeed going to get busy in here. 

“Mr. Ramon Soriano will be partnering with Notio Studios so we’ll need a pitch from the Marketing team.” Sir Ricarte’s nose wrinkled as he wrote letters on the white board in the meeting room. 

“Will he be our client?” Torres asked, as he practically  **_manspread_ ** himself on his seat. With one hand, he chugged down his hot coffee from Tim Horton’s. 

Addie took a small sip of her iced coffee. 

“As you know, Lichauco Tech Ventures helps in the research sector,” Sir Ricarte went on. “There are startups that they are holding.”

“So tayo ba gagawa ng branding nila? Or meron na ba silang branding guidelines?” Addie asked. 

“Wala pang guidelines.” Sir Arty smiled. 

“Iilang brands ba to?” Addie raised her chin. Her brain was a mess today. Was she nearing her period? This… helplessness and moodiness were not usually this bad. 

“More than one.”

Addie felt her brow raise in concern while Torres groaned. Two people for the Marketing Team. Hmm. This was surprisingly more challenging -toxic levels of challenging - compared to the usual workload. 

“Okay, then.” 

Sir Arty wrinkled his forehead. 

“We’ll split the brands between you two. By next Monday, you have to present the pitches to Mr. Soriano himself. Ganun ka-urgent.” Sir Ricarte typed in his Mac almost furiously. “I’ve emailed you two with the creative briefs.”

“Roger,” said Addie. 

*

When it was not checking her patient for his vitals and other stats needed for her report, Desang watched him. But today, there was a visitor.

A handsome albeit  _ tiny _ man with beef arms and dark eyes was talking earnestly with her patient, when she had entered the room. The two of them were deeply talking by the looks of it. 

Jose nodded upon her arrival.

She closed the door, and the visitor followed Jose’s gaze. 

“Ang ganda ng nurse mo, ah, pards!” 

Desang tried not to scowl. She set down Jose’s lunch. 

“Um, Desang. This is my friend. He’s the writer of the novel  _ Social Cancer _ .” Desang glanced at the man. He was not wearing glasses. There was stubble on his chin. He was stylish. “Jose Rizal.”

“Jose Rizal.” He winked. “You can call me Pepe.”

“Pepe, this is my nurse, si Despoena.” 

Pepe took Desang’s hand and kissed it. How.. old-fashioned. 

“Lovely to meet you, Miss Despoena.” 

He let her hand go then checked the clock. 

He threw a casual look at Jose.

“O, pards, kelangan ko na magdash. I have an appointment with Andoy pa.” He laughed. 

“Send Andoy my regards.” Jose coughed. “He’s been busy daw sa kanyang ad agency.”

“Yep. Me partnership kasi na bago.” Pepe laughed. 

“Okay.” 

After Pepe left, Jose put on his glasses.

“Kaedad mo yung kapatid ko,” he began, his words slow tremors. 

She looked up. “Yes.”

“Anong kinaabalahan ba ng mga… millenials?”

Desang hid her laugh. It was too awkward to laugh. But he looked so tired and helpless… And lonely. 

The missing visitors.

The strains when he talked about his family.

“Yung buong buhay namin,” Desang began dryly, “ay nasa mga cellphone namin.”

Jose gaped at her.

“... Ano ba yang Twitter na yan?”

Desang giggled.

“Sige, turuan kita.”

She took his phone and sat next to him.

“May app ka ba ng Twitter?”

“Wala.”

“Sige. Punta ka sa Google Play Store-” There was a rustle in the hospital bed. Jose tried to get up. Yet it was not effective. 

“O. Bakit ka natayo?”

“Di ba sabi mo punta sa Google Play Store?”

“Jose, it’s not a physical place.” He sat down, obedient. 

She held his phone up. She swiped across the surface of his phone. Google Play Store. A tap, and there she was. 

She showed him: download Twitter. 

“Kinokontact mo ba yung iyong kapatid sa may Messenger?”

Jose shrugged. 

“Laging online si Waki. Pero gamit daw niya Telegram at Twitter.”

Desang grinned.

“E di idownload natin din Telegram.”

“Di ba pwede namang Messenger?”

Jose’s forehead twitched.

“Ah, laos na yang Messenger.” Desang tapped Download on Telegram. “Me… preferences kasi usually pag Telegram.”

Jose nodded along.

*

The meeting at Starbuck’s Morato was a little late. Celeste was in her signature blues and of course, her brown lipstick. 

On her ring finger, shone a diamond ring.

Gail Jacobo was flipping through her iPad, lips painted a deep red. From some angles, she looked  **_too familiar_ ** . 

Corang took a seat next to Vesper. Vesper and she had come together. 

Celeste handed the cheques to them.

“For Corang Jacobo.”

Corang took hers.

“Vesper Rizal.”

Celeste slid the cheque to her, followed by Gail’s cheque. 

Gail glanced at Corang.

“Corang, I need to talk to you. In private.”

Her words made Corang’s stomach lurch. The pocket where Corang had put her phone in suddenly vibrated.

She checked her phone under the table.

_ Are you okay, babe? _ Vesper had indeed sent the message.

_ I’ll be fine. _

Corang stood up. She pushed the chair aside and followed her to the second floor. 

*

The second floor of that branch had an open terrace.

“Is this about my performance po, Ma’am?”

Gail raised her brows.

“Kulang ka pa sa asin,” she admitted. “There have been productions that are harsher than this. Magpasalamat ka na makatao tong si Estiteng… Do you have an idea how toxic working in the film industry can be? It’s  **_normal_ ** .”

Corang did not speak. She had no idea how to react. 

“I… I know.”

“I expect you to be less neurotic next time, okay? Di pwedeng rattled ka agad kapag creative ka. But that’s not why I asked you to talk to me.”

“Then ano nga ba?” 

Gail sighed.

“Ang dense mo talaga…”

“Just spit it out. Di ko po kayo naiintindihan…”

“Corang, I’m telling you these things… Kasi I care about you.”

“Ganyan din naman kaya si Ate Sisang!” Corang’s hand fled to her mouth. “So ano nga pagkakaiba ninyo!”

Gail shook her head.

“Corang, ako yung kuya mo, si Imong. Nagtransition ako. Hindi mo na ba ako nakikilala?”

Corang looked up. Looked her in the eye. 

Her head spun. And it made sense. The new iPad. The way she posed her clients. The way she chose her color palettes… The way she smiled, her angles. 

She had  _ transitioned _ .

“Bakit hindi mo sinasabi sa akin on the spot na ikaw nga yan!” Corang found herself shaking, her voice rising. “Iniwan mo ako ke Ate na parang bula! Bakit hindi mo ako binalikan? Ang selfish mo!”

Gail sighed.

“... Please… give me time, okay? I can make it up to you.” 

Corang shook her head.

She left the terrace.

*

“You haven’t been talking to Joaquin much, no?” Desang noted. 

“Yes,” admitted Jose. “I don’t think… it’s the work. Sa tingin ko, may kasalanan din ako diyan.”

“Bakit naman?”

“I… I reacted badly dun sa…”

There was silence.

“... to his relationship when he came out with it.”

He scratched his neck.

“Di ko alam paano mag-ammends.”

“Apologize, then try again.” Desang adjusted the bedsheet. “I think he’ll like that.”

“I- Sige.”

*

"Napano kayo ni Gail?" Vesper asked Corang. They strolled through Maginhawa at night, hands linked together. 

"Basta."

"Ayaw mo idiscuss?"

Corang shrugged. She did not really feel like discussing anything, really. It was just her and her Vesper.

They stopped in front of Fat Cousins'. 

Corang pulled her phone out. She took selfies of the two of them together. Then she posted them on her Twitter account. 

Vesper watched her. 

"Isend mo na iyan sa akin," she purred with a light laugh.

"G."

Vesper took a seat.

"Nakatira lang ako malapit."

Corang observed her.

"Ihahatid kita."

Vesper smiled. Then she motioned for the waiter to give them the menu.

*

El Fili turned out better than she had thought. Nico had given Desang her ticket. As Basilio, Desang was surprised he could sing. His singing had improved compared to their college days when he was just covering songs like  _ Your Love _ and  _ Hiling _ . Now, he was a theater actor and she felt so proud of him. She tried to ignore the ribbons on her stomach when Simoun was there, intense and ever so familiar and eloquent.

Straight after the play was over, she rushed to the backstage, with Nico greeting her.

"Des!" 

He gave her a tight hug. She patted his back, nervous.

Simoun este  **_him_ ** passed by, to his spot. He was watching them. 

"Kamusta ka na, Des?" Nico chirped. “Tagal ko na ikaw di nakikita ah!”

“I’m fine,” Desang drawled. She patted her Bayani keychain, snugly attached to her bag. She suddenly wished she was her friend, ready with a powerpoint to explain all the happenings in her life. 

“Freelance ka pa rin ba?” 

Nico patted a couch, and she sat down. He loosened the buttons of his shirt. 

“Di na. Ikaw, kayo pa rin ba ni Cherry?”

Nico shook his head. He began to pump his right arm from his left shoulder all through the way to his right shoulder. “No, no, no, no,” he sang in a higher pitch to the tune of SNSD’s Gee. 

Desang let out a nervous, shaky laugh.

“Bakit naman? Di ba costars kayo dun sa may Ang Huling El Bimbo last year?” 

Nico pouted.

“Well, I broke up with her. Pinaltan ako ni Jools dun sa me run last year ng Ang Huling El Bimbo.”

“So bakit kayo nagbreak?”

Nico snorted.

“Is it a crime to fall in love?”

Desang blinked. 

“Hindi naman,” she admitted.  _ Pero kasalanan naman kung hung-up ka sa ex mo _ . It was dangerous to think this - especially when he was around. For all her of being  _ mapagpalaya _ , she was treading on thin ice. It was just so unfortunate that her innards felt like they were being set on fire the more she spent minutes here in the backstage. The heat was getting to her. She could not completely tear her eyes off Nico’s older costar. What was even worse was that Nico knew exactly the reasons why. 

“So sino tong bagong girl?”

“Oh, she lives nearby. Same street as me.”

Nico nodded along.

“Salamat for attending, Desang,” he began. “This really means a lot to me.” 

“I had plenty of fun. It was great.” 

“May full-time ka na, no?”

Desang nodded.

“The pay is… bad.” She admitted that much. If it was not for Vio and his generosity… She would have had no idea where she could have gone. It was even worst when she had been freelance. 

Nico eyed Bayani.

“So, how do you manage?”

“Co-living kami ni Vio, pero we make ends meet naman.”

Nico smiled.

“Hindi ba delikado dahil nakatira ka naman kasama ng iyong ex?”

“Sakto lang.” 

“Uy, mag-ingat ka, Des. Kilala kita. Yang puso mong iyan.” 

“Oo na,” Desang sighed. 

*

By the time she was done, Addie was sure she had a splitting headache. Her head hurt. And she was sure she had overtimed by an hour. Torres had left at 4:30.

She turned her desktop off, and fixed her appearance. Brushed her hair, reapplied her nude lipstick and highlighter. By now, the whole office was a graveyard.

To her surprise, Vince was waiting.

"Sorry. Napa-OT ako nang di oras." She felt her cheeks burn as she signed out of the Biometrics. She felt embarrassed. He had asked her out for milktea. "I'm really sorry."

"Ok lang. Ihahatid ko na lang ikaw pauwi-"

"No."

He stared at her. 

"I'm a woman of my word, Enriquez."

He chuckled. 

"Sige." 

He opened the door to his car and she followed inside. 

*

She was making her way through the exit, when she heard the footsteps. 

“Despoena!” 

The same velvet voice, the same tone whenever he said her name… It bought back so many memories. 

She paused in her tracks and turned.

It was like he did not change at all. 

Evaristo Ortiz, singer, thespian, professor, was facing her. He wore a beige trench coat. He had taken his Simoun makeup off. He had his hair cut shorter. He had not shaved it bald, which he had said he would, back when they were still closer, together. Ageing only made him more handsome. 

Inwardly, she wanted to melt. It was a living attack on her existence.

“Long time no see, Ev.”

"You too, Dizzy."


	8. Pahintulot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addie burns some steam off. Desang and Evaristo, alone. Corang makes a confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: internalized homophobia; homophobia

Desang blinked.

Ev sized her up. From her dyed brown hair, the shape of her face, her all-black get up, the purple lip tint she had dabbed on her cheeks. The heel of her black boots. The blue lipstick she had put on her lips. 

“You look different.” Ev laughed lightly. It was the sound of bells to her.

“You also look different,” she fired back. It was a futile attempt at resistance. Looking back on it, how did she manage to do it?  _ Mapagpalaya ako _ .  _ Mapagpalaya ako _ .  _ Mapagpalaya ako _ . That had been her mantra but now, it was the exact opposite. His presence was enough to make her weak in the knees. 

“I didn’t change much, no?” Ev tapped his hair. 

Desang shrugged.

“Matagal na yung break-up natin,” she told him, aware of the closing of the physical distance between them. 

“Lagpas three months yun.”

“John Lloyd created that stupid rule.” Desang rolled her eyes. 

Ev held up three tapered fingers. 

“Three years.”

“Yes.”

“Three years is a long time,” Ev pointed out. He sighed. “Wala ka bang sasabihin sa akin?”

Desang blinked.

“... You were great? Ev, alam ko nang matagal na na isa kang mahusay na actor.”

Ev pouted.

Lord. She hated it when he did that.

Ev laughed.

“Then let me make it up to you. Let’s catch up. I’m sure gutom ka na kaya hangry ka ngayon.”

She gaped.

He turned to her and extended his hand.

She took it.

*

Desang saw the round blue and yellow sign first off. Morato bought back so many memories. 

_ North Park _ .

“Nagcracrave ka ba ng noods?”

Ev smiled angelically.

“Tanginang ngiting yan,” Desang grumbled, as he took his own seatbelt off. He moved closer to her.

He took the seatbelt off off her. 

“Syempre naman, kilala kita, Dizzy.”

He held the door open for her and she followed out. 

The North Park Morato branch was as exactly as she remembered it. The serving lady guided them to their seats and handed them their menus.

She scanned the menu and put it down.

“So what do you exactly want?”

Ev turned to the waitress. “I’m having the regular Nanking Beef braised noodles.” 

“What about your companion, Sir?”

Desang scowled.

“I’m getting Soy Sauce Chicken. Regular”

The waitress took note of their orders. She nodded. “One regular Nanking Beef Braised Noodles and one Soy Sauce Chicken regular. Ano po drinks ninyo?”

“Water,” Desang and Ev replied at the same time.

“Service water,” added Ev.

“Okay. Two service waters coming up.” The waitress walked off, clutching her notepad.

Desang sighed.

This night was testing her patience. 

*

“Gusto mo bang umuwi?” Vesper asked. Their hands were linked together, as they strolled the long road. “Dito lang ako sa Maginhawa nakatira e…”

“Wala ako sa mood,” Corang admitted. “Sabado naman bukas.” Seeing Sisang was the last thing she wanted to do. Especially after Imong - no, Gail - told her the truth. The trusted kuya she had was no more. It was that Gail.

“May… problema ka, no?”

Vesper squeezed her hand. 

Corang grunted. She looked at the streetlights. Only a few cicadas were audible. In the silence of the night, it was only just Vesper and her. No judgemental stares, just two girls who were in love.

She would have given everything for a space where she could love freely whoever she wanted. She had grown up with loveteams. She had it rubbed so many times in her face that men were for women, women for men, that she was not meant to love a woman. And she had grown up thinking  _ this _ , this very experience of living for and loving a woman, that this was bad, this was evil. That it was unnatural.

But it was bliss, too, to love. 

But it was taboo, too, to be together with a fellow woman. 

Maybe if she had seen women being openly together with their fellow women onscreen, that there was visibility, then Corang could have accepted this burden better. It did not have to take years of self-hatred to fully accept herself and preferences when it came to love. 

And it sucked big-time that she could not be out without the repercussions from this stupid heteronormative society.

Ten minutes later, they stopped together in front of the small apartment. Vesper took out her keys and opened the gate.

She led Corang inside the apartment, unlocking and pushing open the wooden door. Corang watched her, as she took a seat from the couch. 

Vesper watered the plants, humming  _ Pahintulot _ by Shirebound and Busking, in her low, lovely voice. Her touch was gentle. She entered inside the house, still singing.

_ Giliw, kung pahintulotan mo ako, _

_ Ipagkakatiwala ko sana sa ‘yo ang puso ko _

Corang clapped.

“Multitalented ka pala, ha,” she said jokingly. 

Vesper snorted. She took the seat beside Corang. 

“I’m just Vesper.”

Corang took her hand and kissed it. She watched her: those charming dark eyes she had learned to love, those luscious lips she wanted to kiss, those gentle hands that tended to plants. 

That moment, she knew.

She leaned in and kissed her. She kissed her silly, she kissed her all over, letting everything go to rest, that stupid heteronormative world would fuck itself all over. It was just Vesper and that sweet, sweet surrender.

*

Eastwood was alive at this time of night. 

Vince had parked the car at the mall, then they had chased each other to the other side of Eastwood, to where Black Scoop was located. 

“Ang kulit mo rin,” Vince sighed, as he caught up with her. He slipped in easily beside her, as she walked to the milktea cafe. Other people from call centers, ad agencies, walked along. This was not Makati, nor Ortigas, where people crowded the place more. Eastwood had its own charm, in the silences and the lights, or the berth of the space it occupied. 

Black Scoop was not occupied when they entered the establishment.

“Ako na mag-oorder,” Vince insisted. He grinned - and she felt her face heat up, heart miss a beat. 

She nodded and took a seat.

What the fuck did she get herself into? The blush was hard to hide. 

Vince set down two milkteas, and two plates of Taiwanese Chickens. Addie gave him his pair of utensils. 

They stared at each other. 

He was… different. This was different. 

"Vince, babayaran kita -"

"It's on me."

Addie bit her lip.

Vince regarded her, sober.

"Vince, may gusto akong sabihin." She laughed. Suddenly Torres seemed so far away. 

"Ano yun?"

"... may ginawa si Torres sa akin. Tulad nang kay Tata, tulad nang kay Miss Julie."

Vince took a sip of his milktea. 

Addie did not know what to feel. If his opinion of her changed. 

"... Kaya ko kinausap sina Greg, sina Tata… I can't let it go that easily…" She was rambling, she realized. "Ayoko lang… na magbago tingin mo sa akin, Vince, dahil lang may nangyari sa akin na baka sabihin mo kasalanan ko…"

There. There it was, spilling, teetering. 

She didn't know it was there, the fear. The pressure. 

"Bakit naman nag-aalala ikaw na magbabago ang opinyon ko sa iyo?" He looked her in the eye.

"I don't want you to think any less of me, it's more than just being in a man's world." She sipped from her milktea. She took a deep breath. "I want you to respect me dahil… you're my closest friend, dahil… I value your opinion."

"Ano ba turi mo sa akin?"

Addie raised a brow.

"Alam mo, if di lang ako diyahe sa may bagong project at dun kay Torres, I was going to ask you the very same thing."

Their eyes met. 

She sliced a piece of her Taiwanese Chicken. Popped it in her mouth. "Lucky for you, inunahan mo ako sa tanong."

"So ano nga ba ako sa iyo?" Vince countered. 

She did not cut off eye contact.

"Support system. Best friend sa opisina. Best guy friend. And right now, I… need you. I… feel… feel alone." 

Vince scratched his neck.

"Hindi mo kailangang mag-aalala." 

She blinked. 

"At bakit naman?"

"Nanininiwala ako sa iyo. At alam kong hindi naman magsisinungaling." 

He grinned.

"Hindi mo kinakailangang maging mag-isa, ah?" 

She nodded. 

*

"Ikaw ba gumawa niyan?" Ev pointed to Bayani. 

"Oo. Bakit?"

Ev laughed.

"Gusto ko magpacommission. Kung ok lang sa iyo, ah."

Desang frowned.

"Gaano kalaki?"

"Iniisip ko kasing plush sana. Gift sana."

"Bayad muna."

He pulled his wallet. He handed to her a perfectly crisp 1k bill.

"Keep the change, Dizzy."

"Very well."

*

The silence in the car was what she needed. It was a long day, and she was relieved it was ending. 

"Kung end of the world na, ano gusto mo gawin?" he asked her, light-hearted tonight. His eyes were on the road; they made it past Katipunan Avenue. 

She laughed nervously. 

"Makasama yung mahal ko. Ikaw?"

Vince smiled as he made a turn. Closer to her house, she realized.

"I want to fuck like heck."

Addie laughed. It was not surprising. He was rarely like this. 

"Kasama nino naman? Bakit naman?"

"Ma-ooffend ka ba…." Vince steadied the wheel. "... kung sasabihin kong ikaw?"

"Bakit naman?"

At the end of the day, she was a tired woman.  _ Kelan ka bang huling kumarat _ , she remembered Greg asking her. 

The car stopped. Just there, in front of her house. 

"Masama ba kung gusto kita?" Vince whispered. 

She shook her head.

"Hindi."

"Bakit?"

"Gusto rin kita." She laughed. There was a reluctance to her words. But that was the truth. 

*

He followed her inside the house, watched her as she took her makeup off, drank water. She gave him a glass and poured water. 

On normal days, they didn't do this. But it wasn't like any other day. 

She watched him unbutton his button-down shirt and discard it. She admired his nice arms, the curvature of his back. Every detail of it she tried to collect in her feverish brain. She would remember the earnest kiss, and everything that followed.

Outside, the moon shone.


	9. Linger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls face the outcomes of their decisions.

The drive was quiet after they had dinner. To each their own, Desang supposed, as he tucked the seatbelt in. But she could not deny that they were like ships sailing out into the sea, once connected, now going further and further away by the caravan of life. 

“Paano ko pala ibibigay si Bayani sa iyo?” She finally asked. 

Ev continued driving.

“We can meet in person dyan sa Morato. Alam mo naman my sched allows me to be free pag gabi-gabi na.”

“Nagtuturo ka pa rin, no?”

Ev chuckled.

“Ikaw?”

“I work sa may East Avenue.”

“Ah, malapit-lapit pala, ah.”

Desang gave a steady nod. There were butterflies gathering in her stomach. It made her jolty and nervous as heck.

“Did you ask Nico to invite me?”

“Di naman.” 

“Did you expect bang pupunta ako?”  
“No.”

Ev turned to look at her.

“Di kita inexpect. That’s why I asked you out to dinner. Namiss na rin kita, I suppose.”

Back to this. This old comfortable silence, where the pieces easily fit in and there was nothing that could stop them. It had been their way, when they were together. _Namiss na rin kita_. It could have been sweet…

“Me deadline ka ba sana for the chick…”

“Wala naman. Kilala ko gawa mo.”

*

Vio raised a brow, when Ev parked the car in front of the pleasant house they lived in. Of course, he would see them. It was hard to miss: the old car, painted white, with its hatchback. 

Ev put a hand on her shoulder. Then his hand slithered to the seatbelt that ran through the surface of her chest and ribs. 

“Wag na. I can do it myself.” Desang smiled sweetly at him. She took her own seatbelt off, but Ev was the one who opened the door for her. 

She got out of the car by herself. 

She walked to the porch, where Vio was playing some Michael Buble by himself, over a cup of wine.

Ev followed her.

“Des, bakit andyan siya?”

“He decided na ihatid ako. May problema ka ba?”

Vio scowled. He stood up - and then Desang remembered. He was two inches taller than Ev. 

Behind Desang, she heard Ev giggle.

“Long time no see as well, Vio.” 

“Long time nga naman.” Vio set his jaw. “Thanks for taking Desang home.”

“It was my pleasure.” Ortiz’s eyes sparkled. “I’m glad you’ve taken care of her those past three years.”

 _Foul._ Desang’s nose wrinkled. Was it her or were the two men acting like she was not there? _Men_.

“Hold up, ah.” Desang scowled. She turned to Ev. “Ev, thanks talaga for tonight, este kanina… Maraming salamat.”

Vio rolled his eyes. 

Ev nodded and waved gently. 

“Sa susunod.”

He walked to his car.

*

Addie's body hurt the next day.

When she woke up, she felt an arm wrap around his waist, the grip tight and protective. When she saw the face sleeping beside her, the events of the night before unfolded and she felt a pang of embarrassment wash over her cheeks. 

She washed her sleeping mask off, put on a ratty shirt, while it was his turn to wake up. 

He stretched first thing in the morning. There were grayish purple marks on his back and she winced. _Thos_ e were her fault. 

She cooked bacon strips and sausage omelettes for the two of them downstairs. Two cups of coffee. 

She heard his footsteps as he came downstairs. 

"Ang aga mo pala."

She set the plates and cups on the table. Instead of feeling happy, she felt like there was an abyss deep inside of her. It was crossing the threshold once and all over again. 

She was scared again. But she wasn't scared of Vince. It was not the same type of fear she associated with Torres. She did not feel shame. Instead, she was scared that this was fragile, that this change was too delicate. 

Of course, Vince was handsome. Many women would have found him attractive and taken their chances with him. 

She was scared of this. She valued his friendship and companionship too much to consider what **_this_ ** meant, what this could be. She didn't tell him so many things because she didn't want things to change. 

She took a deep breath and faced him. 

"I can leave." His eyes danced with embarrassment.

"Ginawan kita ng kape." She handed him his cup of coffee. "Please don't leave."

Vince took his cup and sat down.

*

The sunlight wafted off the frosted glass in the windows of Vesper's bathroom.

Vesper washed Corang's back. She hummed to herself.

“So how was it?” Vesper giggled.

Corang felt herself redden. It sank on her that she would not be here - if it were not for the happenings. Gail, the photoshoot, Celeste Hernando. Everything was connected to everything else. From the small, lowly ant, up to the humans who sustained the ecosystem. If it was like that with nature and ecosystems, humans, too, perhaps, had a connection to everyone may it be direct or indirect. Remembering last night was another story. She… she had few words to describe it, the action. She remembered tenderness, then love, and fury. Clothes on the floor, Vesper kissing her, and her own shyness overtaking her. 

“Bakit ka nahihiya?”

“W-Wala.”

Vesper peered at through her long lashes. Her smile was infectious. She gave Corang a squeeze on the shoulder. 

“Walang nakakahiya sa ganito,” she said firmly.

Corang nodded along.

“So…”

Vesper lathered shampoo in Corang’s hair. Her slim fingers massaged Corang’s head. The grip was firm but not viselike. It was just right, and it fit in. Bubbles flitted from Corang’s hair. 

“Just so you know, ah. I’ve done it with men, too.” Vesper chuckled. 

Corang colored. She did not move from her position. 

“It doesn’t mean na ididisregard ko yung nangyari kagabi…” She took the shower head and directed it on the back of Corang’s head. The warm water washed away the white bubbles foaming on the back of her head. Vesper’s fingers laced through the strands of her hair, making sure that the strands were free from foam, bubbles and shampoo residue. 

“Ayoko naman kung gagawin mo man yun,” Corang admitted through gritted teeth. “Mahal kita.”

Vesper went on; she wiped the foam off Corang’s back.

“I know.” Her voice was placid. “I love you, too.”

Corang smiled. It was enough. It made her feel enough, for now. 

*

“Are you still worried about Torres?”

Addie smiled grimly. 

“Kailan ba hindi?” 

She took a sip of her coffee. 

“Wala silang concrete policy regarding sexual harassment, pero me prospective cases na rin. Nagkumpol sila after a while. I can ask Tata and Cherry and Julie for you.”

“No thanks.” Addie chuckled. “I already asked them for help.” 

“Takot ka pa rin ba na this will affect the promotion?”

Her eyes locked in with his. She could not hide things like these, from him anymore. At this point of time, she could no longer hide anymore. Every fear, every insecurity, every worry she had would no longer be beholden just to her. Was it truly worth giving up her steady friendship with him to jump to this fragility? She had no words to label this relationship at this point. Loving someone was not an alien concept to her; she had her own share of heartbreak at college. After that, there were no more takers. 

Vince had asked her out for coffee on her first day, and the rest followed. Drinking milktea. Casual calls. She certainly had failed to notice so many things, huh? Just as easily as that, she knew she was done for. Perhaps she was lying to herself all this time, even when he had Clara and she hugged her work close to her.

“Oo naman. Sa Monday na ang pitch direkta kay Mr. Soriano.” Addie blinked. “I can only hope na manalo ko yung pitch.”

“Ikaw pa.” 

He reached out to touch her arm, when his phone, on the table, began to ring. Addie saw the name on his phone.

 _Clara_.

So he was still talking to her, huh? She felt her chest tighten. This could be the worst of her other fears. But she did not want to look at him in the eye and tell him the truth. 

Vince picked the phone up and answered it. 

_So he picks her over me. Ganun naman talaga di ba._ She thought bitterly, as she took her cup of coffee and phone and walked to the other side of the living room. _Perhaps wala siyang pinagkaiba dun sa mga ibang lalaki diyan._

Vince lowered his phone and looked at her for a few moments. 

She answered her phone.

“Yes, Greg?”

“I came in way passssttt office hours para rito, ah.” Greg was coughing. “I’m gonna try and help, bruh.”

“Alam ko naman you would.”

“Don’t worry, ah. I’m gonna cover you. Kelan mo ba plano lapitan si Sir Andoy and Sir Ricarte? Me case na binuild ka na kasi e.”

Addie sighed.

“Sana bago magpitch ako kay Sir Soriano.”

“Sige. Samahan kita.”

She looked at Vince. 

He had put his phone down. 

“Kamusta si Clara?”

“She wants to talk later over lunch.” Vince chuckled dryly. 

“Mauna ka na sa work.”

Addie tapped her coffee mug.

“Ayaw mo na sabay na tayo?”

“Wag na.” 

“Hindi ba -”

“Mauna ka na, Vince.” She scowled. “Hahabol na lang ako. Go work and talk to Clara mamaya. Good luck mamaya kay Clara.”

_Go fuck yourself._

She watched him leave. This was not worth the trouble nor her time. But of all betrayals so far in the office, this one cut the deepest. 


	10. Ayaw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addie talks to someone important. Desang's world gets shaken little by little. Corang gets into a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: homophobia, sexual harassment, getting outed

Vince didn’t return from his lunch with Clara. 

“Day off daw siya today,” said Greg, as Addie took a packet of coffee from the pantry. She was revising her pitch for next Monday; time sure moved by fast. She could feel Greg’s eye on her, as she edited on her desktop. Torres, on his cubicle, was playing  _ Mobile Legends _ on his phone; she could tell by the noises. No one said anything. 

When she had arrived, she spotted Paula Hernando in the pantry with Greg, their Mac laptops sitting beside each other. The Human Resources from Aptiview and Human Resources officer from Notio Studios. 

Her skin was a pale pink, her eyes a rich light brown. She wore a red flannel shirt over deep blue slacks, white sneakers, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her crystal necklace hung from her neck. Her bold red eyeshadow was accented by thick black cat eyeliner and a matching red lipstick.

“Yo.”

Addie looked up from her desktop. True enough, there she was. 

“I’m here on  _ official business _ .” Poleng smiled sweetly. She had the grace to smile. “Pero, do you have a minute or two sana? I want to talk to you in private.”

“Oh. Sige.”

She followed Poleng to the pantry. The door clicked, and twisted shut. Greg locked it, effectively sealing him, Poleng and Addie inside. 

“Addie, kelan mo sana balak na sabihan supervisor mo about this?” Poleng asked. 

“Mamaya… Before the shift is over. Before din yung pitch ko.” 

Poleng frowned.

“Can I see yung case na binuild mo?”

Addie handed her USB over to Poleng, who attached it to her laptop. She looked over to the folder.

A screenshot of Torres calling her  _ honey  _ on Google Hangouts. The CCTV footage of what happened that very day.

The folder labeled _Other Proof._ Poleng tapped on it. _Tata._ _Miss Julie_. Under Tata and Julie’s folders, Addie knew what she had put on them. A transcription and voice recording of what they said. 

Poleng took a glance at the  _ Other Proof _ folder. 

She turned to Addie. 

“Alam mo naman siguro ano pinasok mo, no?”

Addie nodded. 

“Oo. I take full responsibility for it.”

Poleng tucked her stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Good. Greg and I will be behind you.”

“Wait. Bakit? Akala ko ba -” Addie could not believe this. She knew the risks of this move even before she had made the leaps. Being blamed. Being told she wanted it. Being asked what she was wearing. Things she wanted to avoid. 

“It’s not just for you.”

Poleng’s eyes dimmed.

“He did the same thing to me, too, Addie. People blamed me for it, hindi ko kinaya gawin kaya mong gawin ngayon.” Poleng scrolled through the documents in her laptop. She took a folder and handed it to Addie.

“Take this. Andyan statement ko, pirma ko.”

“Pero -”

“Take it.” Poleng breathed. 

Addie eyed her. Not for the first time, she saw it in Poleng’s eyes. She saw the same look on Tata and Julie’s eyes.

_ Di lang ito para sa akin. _

Addie took it.

“I’m sorry that it happened to you,” she murmured. She held the folder to chest. But the thoughts came sooner than expected. 

“W-What if they blame me? What if they ask ano suot ko?” Addie started to shake. “Anong sasabihin ko? Alam mo naman dito,  _ it’s a man’s world _ .”

Poleng squeezed her hand. “Fuck misogyny.”

Addie nodded.

“Pero di ba walang policies dito about -”

“That’s why andito kami ni Greg. Me legal consultant kami, akshelly.”

Greg held up a thumbs-up.

“Wala siya rito, pero we’re coordinating.”

“Hmm. Sige.”

*

The breakfast was quaint, quiet. And Corang liked it; she found herself editing on her old, preloved laptop, while Vesper cooked for her, cleaned, and tended to the plants. But Corang helped her with the plants, too. 

She was liking it here - here you could walk around. Here, you could easily get to watch an indie film that played at an ungodly hour. She could see what made Vesper choose to live in here; it was the ambience, the silence. The privacy. 

The days were golden and quaint, but the nights were long and wild and passionate and tender. She loved the nights most of all. Getting rowdy with Vesper on the bed, kissing and biting her mouth until it got bruised, feeling her skin tap on Vesper’s skin. They were one together, and no one could tear them apart. 

It was truly an idyllic life. If Corang could easily compare a life experience to Jose Rizal’s experience, then this stage of the relationship with the golden days and hot nights were like Jose Rizal and his days in Dapitan. 

(Vesper had commented that Rizal was her ancestor; her father was named after the hero, she had added, with a laugh that reached the moon and back.)

The day that her idyllic life with Vesper in Maginhawa, though, was shattered, it was the day when Sisang had the gall to message her in Facebook Messenger.

Corang scrolled down. 

_ Hello _ .

Then a wall of text followed. 

_ May nagsabi sa akin na lesbian ka raw. Minessage ako sa Messenger.  _

The screenshots followed.

_ Ikaw ba yung ate ni Querubin Jacobo? Dapat nakita mo pinopost nya sa net. Tomboy sya.  _ The name of the account was someone Corang did not know. But it was definitely a man. Corang felt her cheeks go hot as she read and studied the message. 

There was a screenshot attached to the message to Sisang. 

It was the couple selfie she and Vesper had taken the day Gail told her the truth. And Sisang didn’t know.

Before Corang could muster a reply, Sisang’s reply came first.

_ We need to talk _ .

Corang bit her lip.

“Ayos ka lang ba?” 

Corang turned to Vesper and showed her the message.

“Contactin na lang natin muna si Gail, no?” Vesper’s face darkened. She was obviously not liking this. She put the phone down. “Tangina talaga ng mga lalaki.”

Corang nodded.

“Ako na kakausap kay Gail. At kay Sisang,” she told Vesper. She heard her voice rise. She would have to deal with this on her own.

Maybe it was high time to step up to this. 

*

Desang had gotten a headstart on Bayani before she went to get breakfast with Vio.

“Why were you so worked up by Ev ba?”

Vio looked up from his Mac desktop.

“Bakit ba? I’m just worried.”

Desang put her hands on her hips. 

“You know Ev -”

“Can be wiley.” Vio finished the sentence for her. He booped her forehead and she scowled. She swatted his finger away. 

“I am a strong independent woman -”

“Na kailangan ng lambing. Rupok mo, beshiebells.”

“Excuse me?”

She poked his side, and Savio caught her arm. 

“Wag ganyan,” he sang. “Look, si Ev yan. Lam mo naman na anything goes with Ev.”

Desang puffed her cheeks out. 

Maybe Vio had a point.

*

There were too many words to describe this. Corang had never felt her blood run and rise so quickly. She felt like she was robbed of the opportunity to tell her story about her truth. So what if she was gay? Fuck that. She could not easily let it slip.

“Corang?” Vesper asked.

“Ano yun?” She put her phone down. Who knows what she could do at this level of anger she could feel. 

“When Gail told you na trans siya, did you also feel angry?” 

Corang bit her lip. It was not so long ago. She remembered the betrayal. The anger. The internalized hate. She had felt abandoned. Lost. But with Vesper by her side, she found herself stronger, more able.

“Gets ko naman na you reacted strongly…” Vesper began. “... Pero you have to realize something.”

Corang frowned. 

“Bakit?”

“Calling her selfish was… a bit out of line.” 

“At bakit naman?”

“Mahal.” Vesper patted her hand gingerly. “She also had a difficult time. As a trans woman, she is subjected to the same oppression like us. Discrimination. Hate crimes.” She gave Corang’s finger a tight squeeze. “Consider that, ah.”

Corang took a deep breath.

She phoned Gail that night. When she put her phone down for the last time that day, she already knew what to do. 

*

“Soooo, have you tried talking to your little brother via Telegram?”

Desang adjusted the curtains of the room. She pulled the windows out, letting some air and sunlight in. In the place of the aircon, she had opted to use the electric fan.

“Binabati ko na siya.”

Jose scratched his head.

“And ansabi niya?”

Desang took her thermometer out and checked his temperature. 

“He replies naman. Slowly. But surely.”

“Beri good.”

Desang laughed. At least this old dog was catching up on new tricks. “Ano usually ba pinag-uusapan ninyo?”

“Ah araw niya.” Jose sighed. “I… took your advice naman. It does take a while. We have not parted amicably… Me issue kasi last time.”

In that moment, she knew exact what that felt. It was not just with family… There were also the people who she had hurt, and the people who had hurt her. Relationships were messy. 

“Oh.”

“I… I apologized naman. He accepted it.” 

“At least there’s progress.” 

Desang marked her notes. She was still observing him. Hopefully he would be fine in a few days… 

“It’s just not him, you know.”

“Bakit?”

She blinked.

“... Yung… significant other ko rin.” 

“Did you message them yet?”

“Hindi ba awkward?”

“Life is short, Mr. Alejandrino. Me isyu rin ba yan?” 

The hospital stay was going a bit long. There’d been no one who could take care for him save for her. And it was because of the fracture in his leg and foot. 

“... Meron din.”

Desang found herself frowning. Squinting. Judging himself hard. 

“No, not really. We give each other space.”

“Pero do they  **_know_ ** ?”

“No. When this  _ accident _ happened, they were out. Busy. Di rin siya tatanggapin officially…”

Hmm. She sensed something. 

“Well, you have to talk to him.”

“Sige.” 

*

“Mr. Ricarte.” 

Sir Ricarte turned to look at her, as she came forward with her printed files. She was ready, but one could never be truly ready, right? 

“Yes, Miss Reyes, what is it?”

“I’d like to report a case of sexual harassment. Isidoro Torres sexually harassed me twice, and I have the proof to back it up.” She handed the folder to him, which he accepted reluctantly. “I’m not the only one who he did this to. Andyan din sa folder statements ng ibang mga victims.” 

Sir Ricarte’s face turned pink, then white, then pink. 

“Are you sure about what you’re saying, Miss Reyes?”

“Very sure. The proof is in that folder. I’d like you and Sir Andoy, Sir Miong to consider the proof, when the time comes to choose and discuss sino magiging Content Head for Notio Studios. You can also ask the Human Resources.”

Sir Ricarte’s grip on her folder tightened. “I’ll review this.” 

She smiled almost smugly.

“Very well.”

Behind her, she heard Poleng clap.

BONUS:

“Was there someone else who did something to you?” Poleng asked. Eastwood was busy, even if it was a Friday night. 

Addie found herself smiling. The aircon was low at this UCC, but it would do. It had been a tiring week. There was no use lying to Poleng. She was smarter than she let on. Greg had opted to meet up with Jools and watch a movie with him, while Addie and Poleng ate dinner and would talk. As for Vince, Addie wanted to block his name out from her ears.

_ Di ba nag-usap sina Vince at Clara? _

“Meron, but he didn’t touch me without consent like Torres did.” Addie took a sip of her water. 

“So anong nangyari?” 

“I liked this co-worker for a long time…” Addie played with her hair. “Nagbreak siya sa jowa niya. Tapos he was so supportive pa about the case…” 

“Did he do anything na naging di ka kumportable? Or anything that made you feel dirty?”

“Never.” That was the truth. “I… just na ang tanga-tanga ko.”

“Wait. Back to the top.” Poleng tapped her ballpen. “Anyare ba? Bakit siya filed as ‘doing something’?”

“... I slept with him last night.” Lord. “And I have no idea what to do kasi sabi niya saken kagabi, gusto niya ako, sabi ko gusto ko siya tapos ayun. And then next thing I know, naglunch siya ngayon kasama ng ex niya kasi daw gusto siya kausapin.” _ Tapos siya ang pipiliin, hindi ako. _

“Did you ever clarify na anong meron sa gitna ninyo?”  _ DTR. Defining the relationship. _ “Or did you just leave it at that and assume the rest?”

Addie blinked.

“...Nag-assume ako.”

“Do you like him?”

“I really do.”

“Kausapin mo siya.” Poleng sighed. “Yan talaga problema sa mga ENTJ na tulad mo.” 

The sound system of Eastwood Mall suddenly blared UDD’s  _ Indak. _


	11. Oh No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

“Corang? Ano nangyari?” Gail’s voice never lost the same cadence it had even back then, when she had not transitioned. 

“It’s… an emergency.”

“Akala ko si Vesper yung tatawag.”

Corang sighed from the other end of the line.

“No. Para sa akin to.”

Corang stole a look over her shoulder. Vesper was arranging her closet, playing some indie music in the background.

“Anong emergency ba?”

“... Si Sisang.”

There was a pregnant silence from Gail’s end. Maybe there really was an explanation to all this. Gail had left them for valid reasons, subjected to the same kind of oppression that was given to people like her and Vesper. The list could go on and on. There was so much to unpack…

“Puntahan ko kayo diyan. Kinausap mo ba si Sisang?”

Corang closed her eyes. She thought of her cousin and her  _ Kerygma _ magazines, her avid hold to things considered  _ regular _ .

But she also felt her anger. It was her valid anger, to feel and plant it like the ground beneath her feet. The implications of this were grave. To out was an unforgivable crime. To misgender was to invalidate another person. Some things should have been basic humanity to do, such as not to do such things.

Maybe Vesper was right, that men could be scum. The poison was enough to hear from her normally gentle voice.

Maybe she had had enough.

“Di pa.” 

“Don’t do anything rash.” Gail sighed. “Punta ako diyan bukas.”

Corang nodded.

“Okay.”

“It’s also time I explain some things to you, ah, Corang?”

“Opo.”

*

Good thing Ev had bothered paying Desang in advance. This is was a fucking rush order. And Desang’s fingers were aching, at this pace she was furiously making another Bayani plush just for him.

_ Ganito na ba ako karupok? _

She cursed him as she undid errors on her stitches. Cursed him as she fixed them all over again. Those stitches and threads were lucky. They were not her; those things, those moves could be undone and she could easily move on and patch those up. Relationships were messy, and as complicated as the web of a spider. 

But like Jose, she made it little by little. Little steps, big steps. The shape of the plush began to form. Soon, it had a beak.

And soon, she would have to face Ev once again. 

*

“You look chipper.” Jose commented.

“So do you.” Desang closed the door. She adjusted the room temperature with the aircon. It was true enough. “Kamusta naman kapatid mo?”

“We’re slowly getting by.”

“Eh your SO?”

The tips of Jose’s ears burned a bright pink.

“Mahabang kwento.”

“I’m all ears,” she admitted. 

“He still… doesn’t know about this.” He laughed. The embarrassment was there. So it was a  _ he _ , huh. “He’s been busy with work.”

“Loaded din siya, no?’

Jose’s gaze mets her.

“I guess you can say that.”

“So bakit nagkaron ng isyu?”

“Communication.” 

“Di kayo nag-usap?”

Silence. But Desang did not shy away this time. She was already far from avoiding these things with Jose now. She was a nurse, she was here because of her ability to empathize with people and help people. She was smart, she was level-headed. It was a demanding profession, but her work with Jose, and its payoffs were one of the things that made her feel truly blessed and special to be a nurse, in spite of the slaps in her face about her workplace. 

But even now, her finances were tough. Saving, saving, even when then, the money was scarce. Even here in the healthcare profession.

“I’m… trying.”

“And that’s what is important.”

Desang sighed.

“Alam mo, not being able to communicate well naging failing ko rin nang huling relasyon ko.” She eyed the sleek, black hot flask on one table, and the two mugs. She got the mugs, and two sticks of instant hot coffee. Then she made coffee.

“Did you regret it?”

“I very well did.” Desang handed him his mug. “Don’t make the same mistake.”

“But you’re young.”

“And I learned agad naman. Ikaw, mas me tali na buhay mo compared to mine.” Desang watched him give the coffee a searing once over.

Then he took a sip.

“That’s why mas me dahilan ka to do better by the people na nadisappoint sa iyo. Jose, di ka naman masamang tao.”

Jose shuddered and she rubbed his shoulder. Gave it a familial squeeze. 

*

Addie dressed for the occasion. In the place of her usual button down shirt and pants, she’d chosen a sleek, deep blue pantsuit. Her hair she straightened to her shoulders. She pinned pearl drop earrings. 

And then the makeup. A thin layer of dewy foundation and spot concealing for the acne scars and undereyes, set with powder in the oily areas and parts where she had lain concealer. The eyebrows were filled in with some brow pomade Poleng had given her for good luck. A flick of deep brown eyeliner and natural false lashes. 

And then a trusty red lip pencil. She topped it off with a wine-colored lipstick and red lip gloss. 

She’d forgotten how long stuff like this took, but they would help. She missed things like this: makeup. She actually really liked how she looked, too: her eyes popped and her skin really looked great. 

She put on some heels and got slippers, which she slipped inside her work backpack. 

She answered her phone.

_ Vince. _

“Ready ka na ba today?” His voice was uneasy. “Nasubmit mo na raw kay Sir Ricarte yung case.”

“Oo.”

“Okay. Good, good. Cool, cool, cool.”

“Um, see you sa office na lang?”

“Hm. Sige.”

“K.”

He hung up. 

*

Jose tried calling his SO.

“Mi amor?”

_ Yes, mi corazon _ , Desang heard that velvety voice. Her hands shivered, her heart began to beat faster.

_ Is this who I think it is? _

But she stilled herself. She was a nurse through and through. She thought of Ev and Bayani. They would see each other soon. She counted up to sixty (60) in her head. Rubbed her palms together. Deep breaths.

This was just a man. Not a disease. 

She walked away, and came back, when the call was over. 

“Is your SO coming?”

“Soon.”

When she checked her phone again, Ev had sent a message.

_ Pwede mo na ba ibigay sa akin si Bayani? _

_ 9pm. _ She sent the text faster than she usually did.  _ Mamaya. He’s done na. _

*

The office was ridiculously quiet; she’d gotten here on an Angkas, not her typical jeep. 

Greg and Poleng were here, working in the pantry, while Vince lingered nearby. He still looked the same.

She pretended to ignore his existence. Instead, she set up her laptop. Today was D Day, and hopefully, the day Torres would be destroyed. 

She had waited and worked for two years for this opportunity. The moment that Torres signed in, which was ridiculously out of character for him, Vince sauntered to her side. 

He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

_ Fuck. _

“Good luck mamaya.”

“Thanks.”

“Gusto ko rin sana sabihin -”

“Ano?” She looked up at him. 

“... You look great today. Beautiful.” From his shoulders, she could spot Poleng and Greg giving their thumbs-ups. 

_ Lord. _

“T-Thanks. I’ll talk to you after ng pitch.”

“Sige.”

*

In her post-shift get-up, Desang knew she stood out. She put some purple lip tint on her lips. Her all-black getup made her look like some creepy villain from  _ Ang Probinsyano _ . But then Ev had had a cameo on that stupid series…

She booked the Angkas to Morato area, to Scout Esguerra. For now, she was the big piece here. And she had to be smarter than Ev. 

She walked to the cozy restaurant, just turning right of Scout Esguerra after the driver had dropped her off here and she had paid. 

Tweedle Book Cafe was so close after Desang’s own heart, after all. The coziness of the place truly felt like home. The cuisine was great and came at a great price, with all the big serving there. The ambience was cozy, warm. Books could be borrowed and read there. 

Ev followed. He wore a tight black shirt, too. 

“Can I get the plush na?”

Desang shook her head.

“I want to clarify things.”

“Fire away.”

*

The plants leading to the apartment were well-watered, when Vesper opened the gate. Gail walked inside, with the air of a dignified woman. Vesper and Corang knew her well. By blood and affiliation; the creative industry was small enough. Even Corang knew a few creatives. Some of them had opted for jobs in Makati, or QC if they were even lucky enough.

She wore green today, with a lavender scarf draped around her shoulders. 

Vesper made treats in the kitchen, while Gail and Corang headed to the living room. 

“So ano ba nangyari talaga?”

Corang handed her her phone.

Gail read the messages. She paled. Then she looked up at Corang, face ashen, eyes dim. Her voice was steely.

“I’m sorry this had to happen to you.”

Corang squeezed her hand.

“It… happened to me, but I didn’t want this to happen to you, too.” 

“Ano ba nangyari sa iyo?”

“She threw me out. Nalaman niya kung kanino-kanino ako nakikiano.” Gail’s nose wrinkled. “Hindi niya ako tinanggap.”

“So you got outed din?”

“Nalaman niya from someone who saw me moonlighting.” Gail’s voice had an edge to it. She was a picture of tranquil fury. 

“So I need to talk to her,” concluded Corang. That was an inevitable decision. 

“I have to be there.” Gail scowled. “Someone needs to help.”

Corang checked her Messenger.

_ Magkita tayo bukas _ .

She hit  _ Send _ . 

*

The higher ups came in. Addie saw them: Sir Miong and his flat top, flanked by Sir Andoy and Sir Ricarte, their heads close together. They nodded at her, but continued to talk amongst themselves. In Ricarte’s hands, she saw her folder, but she opted to ignore that. 

Last to arrive was Sir Ramon Soriano, tall and statuesque and handsome. He took his airpods off upon arrival; he must have been talking to someone. 

When he saw Addie, he gave her a cool smile.

“Long time no see, Adela.”

Addie returned the beam. But it did not reach her eyes. They had an odd… connection, so to say. 

“You, too… Kuya Monching Babachingching.”

He pouted, like Pikachu.

“That won’t do today, ha, Dels.”

She sighed.

“I know.”

Monching surveyed her up and down.

“Good luck on your pitch mamaya.”

“May the best woman win,” she quipped, to which he laughed. Afterwards, he followed Sir Ricarte, Andoy, and Miong to inside the presentation room. 


	12. One Little Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resolutions come for the three of them.

Torres tapped her shoulder playfully, and she did not look. 

“Can you get me coffee, honey?”

She ignored him. The USB burned in the pocket of her jumpsuit. 

“Uy. Sabi ko sa iyo, na bigyan mo ako ng kape.”

Addie scowled.

“Magpipitch din ako, Torres,” she reminded him. Her words were carefully spaced, guarded. There was no room for niceties now. They were inside the battlefield. 

“Ako na mauuna.” Torres smirked. 

Addie rolled her eyes.

Ramon raised a brow; he could see them, Addie realized. He was studying  _ her _ and  _ Torres _ .  _ Inch-resting. _

“I can get the coffee,” interrupted Greg. He beamed one of his movie-star grins and nodded at Poleng; she moved nearer. 

“Miss Hernando..” 

“Hello, Sir Sid!” 

Poleng grinned at him. It was… inch-resting. 

Sir Miong stood up.

“Good morning! Today, we will be pitching content for Lichauco Tech Ventures. Lichauco Tech Ventures helps fund startups that are focused on tech and the research sector. Today, we have their Chief Investment Officer with us, Sir Ramon Soriano.”

There was thunderous applause - from Greg, Poleng, Vince, who was situated nearer to the door, and Torres as well as Sir Miong, Sir Andoy and Sir Ricarte. 

“Also, today, we have Miss Paula Hernando from Aptivew, our sister company as our guest.” 

A smaller round of applause followed. 

“For the first pitch for the startups Lichauco Tech Ventures has been helping and holding, we’ll have Sir Isidoro Torres.” 

Torres fixed his laptop; someone helped him connect it to the projector. 

Addie spotted the names in his projector.

_ Hi Market _

_ Planetshakers _

Shit.

So Sir Ricarte had assigned the same startup brands/companies to her and Torres. She rolled her eyes.  _ Be proactive. _

Ramon tapped the table.

“Wala ba siyang copy nito na printed?”

Ricarte’s ears turned pink. 

“... Wala. Pero he’s one of our best.”

_ Do you mean, laziest _ , Addie thought. 

“What about Miss Reyes?” Ramon asked Ricarte. 

“She’s very good, but she’s a…”

Ramon shut him up with a dark look.

“Well, in this company, it’s a -”

_ It’s a man’s world _ . 

Sir Andoy’s lips twisted menacingly, and the crowd fell quiet, as Torres moved forward with his presentation.

*

Sisang’s jaw dropped open when she saw  _ them _ , seated together. Corang had asked her to meet up with her and Gail and Vesper in the food court in Gateway Mall.

She looked at Ccorang, then Gail, then Vesper, then back at Corang. Instead of fury, Corang saw judgement in her cousin’s eyes.

She took a seat.

“Nagday off ako from work para lang kausapin ko kayo.” Sisang set her jaw. “So do you confirm totoo nga yung pinakita sa akin?”

In the silence, there were so many words unsaid. Fear. Hate. Oppression. Stigma. Things that came with being gay. Corang thought of the discrimination, the hate. Sisang was straight. Sisang would never get it. 

Corang never judged her for bringing a man at night, when she thought no one was there. 

Corang didn’t and never said anything that fateful night that Gail had left the small house. 

She raised her chin.

“Oo, totoo.”

“Bakit hindi mo sinabi?”

Her grumpy cousin’s voice rose. “I  **_wish_ ** you told me, Corang. Para di ako nabibigla someone else would tell me about it!”

Her eyes flitted to Gail. 

“At ikaw naman, Im-”

Gail  _ winced _ . 

_ Sisang just used Gail’s deadname on her. _

“It’s not Imong. It’s  _ Gail _ .” Gail scowled, her face twisting with fury. “Look. Sisang, di naman ang truth na iyon sa truth mo bilang tao na straight. Kayo, kaya ninyo mahalin at pakasalan ang mga taong mahal ninyo, kami di nga kami tanggap ng batas.”

Sisang lifted her chin.

“E di ano ba ang pinaglalaban ninyong dalawa?”

“Dahil ang karapatan ko na sabihin na di ako straight ay karapatan ko lamang!” Corang’s voice raised. Sisang’s jaw dropped. 

There was no use to be kind.

Especially when there was no chance that she would receive kindness from the person she was talking to. 

“Oo. Bakla ako. Oo, di ko sinabi dahil takot ako.” Corang’s voice shook from her anger. Years of repression and self-hatred poured out. “Takot ako di mo ako tatanggapin, at papalayasin mo ako tulad ng ginawa mo kay Ate Gail. Valid kaming mga tao, Ate Sisang. Dahil lang di kami heterosexual di ibig sabihin nun pupunta kami sa impiyerno. Pag-unawa lang tanging nais ko, Ate. Ganun lang yun.”

Sisang closed her eyes.

“Very well.” 

Sisang shook her head. 

“Gail, Corang…. I’m sorry.”

Under the table, Gail took Corang’s hand.

Corang forced herself to look at Sisang in the eye. It did not work like this. It was more than this.

“Tanggap ko ang sorry mo, pero di ko kaya na patawarin ikaw sa loob ng iisang gabi, iisang araw. It’s more than that, Ate.”

Sisang hung her head. 

“I might have to move out na rin. Hindi ako matututo, kung lagi ako kasama mo.” 

*

“For our next presenter, we have Miss Reyes.”

Addie took the mic. She handed Sir Miong, Sir Andoy, Sir Ricarte and Torres and lastly, Ramon a copy of her content plan. Then she attached her USB to the laptop, where the projector was plugged into. 

“Hello. I’m Adela Reyes. I’ve been here in Notio Studios for two and a half years; I’ve worked here as a copywriter, graphic artist, editor on the side na rin.” She grinned. Time to show her fangs. Time to show the world that she was happy, the real Adela Reyes. “I’d like to say na naniniwala po ako na this is a woman’s world, too.”

“I’m going to present the pitch for the following brands under Lichauco Tech Ventures: Hi Market, Planetshakers, and Newgen Cosmetics.” She clicked through the slides with the matching visuals. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ricarte whisper to Ramon and Andoy’s ears. Vince was smiling, his phone held up. 

Showtime. 

*

Desang steeled herself. But when she had signed onto the hospital room, she was surprised to see Jose had made coffee for three people. He was humming a nice song. 

“May visitor ka?”

Jose answered her with a hazy but contented beam.

In a few hours, she heard the clack of familiar footsteps in the lobby. The door turning itself - and there it was.

_ Bayani _ .

The plush, in someone’s arms. That someone, wearing a tight shirt, wearing black and gray.

“Mi amor,” Ev sang. He paused in his tracks, for a moment, when he spotted her. 

It all made sense.

But Desang pretended not to be shock-still. She bit her lip. This was the truth. At least she saw it with her own eyes.

Where was the Desang who bragged to the world that she was able to let go so easily of people she had loved?

Desang watched them: Ev greeting Jose with a tender kiss, his arms wrapping around him. The plush she had made, now Jose’s. The whispers and words exchanged between them. There was more to this. And Desang knew. 

Another of the complexities of life. But she felt that the pieces were in place. The hurt, the pain, it was still there.

But the acceptance was sinking in.

“Ev.” Jose gently pushed Ev away. “I’d like to introduce you to the wonderful young nurse who took care of me.” He gestured to Desang. “Des.”

Desang gave an awkward wave.

Ev laughed. But there was nervousness in his eyes. 

“She really is wonderful,” Ev agreed.

Desang found herself smiling. 

*

“Desang,” Ev murmured, while Jose was asleep in the afternoon. “I’m sorry, I didn’t explain-”

Desang snorted.

“Ev.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“Bakit naman?”

“Alam ko I might have given you mixed signals…”

“But I know na.”

Desang’s eyes fell on Jose’s sleeping silhouette under the blanket. She had become fond of the old man.

“Ev, kung siya mahal mo at nagpapasaya sa iyo, stay with him.”

“Pero what about you, Desang?”

Desang shook her head.

“It’s time na palayain ko na ikaw.” She squeezed his forearm tight. “I give you two my blessing, okay?”

Ev squeezed her hand back in return.

*

The room erupted into bouts of applause, when it was over; Greg came in, bringing coffee for everyone. 

Torres, for once in his life, looked worried. 

Ramon looked pleased. 

They made everyone leave the room save for Mr. Soriano himself, and Ricarte as well as Sir Miong and Andoy. But not Torres. They asked Torres. Greg and Poleng followed, then the room was closed. 

The deliberation would come in the afternoon, Addie was told. 

She approached Vince this time, no hesitation.

“Can we talk?”

They took it to the empty hallway on the second floor of the office, just him and her. The silence was enough.

“You look great today -”

Addie laughed a bit. She had not felt so carefree until today: full glam, no longer holding back. 

“Yeah, you told me that.”

“Kelan?”

His forehead wrinkled, and she giggled. 

“Kanina,” she reminded him. “Pero I do want to talk.”

“Si Clara ba to?” He suddenly looked worried. “Nag-usap na kami. Bati na kami.”

She refused to run away this time.  _ So bati na sila ni Clara _ . 

“Vince, I want to talk. Ano ba ako sa iyo?”

“Eh, ako, ano ako sa iyo?” He put a hand on his hip. He studied her face.

“I really like you. Matagal ko na ikaw gusto. Mula nang yinaya mo ako magkape sa 7-11 nang unang araw ko.” She held up a hand. “Wait. Mali.”

“Anong mali?”   
“Yung term.” She looked him squarely in the eye. 

“E di ano nga? Sige, magdefine tayo ng terms.” Vince chuckled, playing along with her. But it felt so close, so perfect, now.

“Ikaw, naging best friend ko rito. Ikaw, crush kita since bago ako rito,” she explained. She played with her hands, talking with them in that way she only knew how. “Matagal ko nang ikaw mahal. Vince, mahal kita and I want to know if you love me back, too, for me.”

“Di kami nagkabalikan ni Clara.” Vince took her hand. 

“Bakit nga?” She prodded.

“Adela Reyes, mahal kita.”

He pulled her closer - and she kissed him back. 

  
  



	13. Karma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sisang learns a lesson. The drama at Notio Studios begins to heat up.

It took a while before the relief set in. Sisang had bowed her head before she had left.

"Let me know na lang if san ko pwede ipadala mga gamit mo."

Corang had nodded along. 

"Sige."

At this point, she could only watch and acknowledge Sisang and her efforts. This was not an easy feat to do. Acknowledging and facing the unknown were two things the Jacobos had always had difficulties doing. Familiarity bred contempt. Corang could see why. 

Gail rubbed soothing circles on Corang's back. 

"Nang ikaw naman yung pinaalis, ganito rin ba?" 

Gail let out a bitter cough. 

"It was way badder."

"So, mas gentle siya sa akin?" 

"In a way, yes. Pero hindi kita sisisihin na hindi mo rin sinabi sa kanya agad."

"Batid mo naman anong klase siya ng tao, Ate."

"Hindi ba talaga siya nagbago?"

"Not much talaga."

They sat in silence. Corang's head on Ate Gail's shoulder, the older woman's hand on top of hers. Theirs was a pain they could only understand. Vesper could only have to empathize. 

"You can stay with me," said Gail. "Nasa may Escopa area pa ako nakatira."

Vesper smiled. "Kung gusto mo…"

Corang blinked. She had little idea. Her rackets only got her so far. 

It was not a stable idea to live.

"Tignan ko muna saan ako kukuha ng pera."

"No pressure," said Vesper and Gail at the same time.

*

"So anong naging relasyon mo kay Desang?" Jose dabbed on his mouth, clutching the chicken plush Desang had sewn so lovingly. 

Ev and Desang exchanged glances.

"Mahabang kwento," Ev said. 

Desang took a sip of her coffee. 

"Magkasintahan kami noon." She shrugged. "Tatlong taong break na kami."

Jose glanced up at her.

"Mahal mo pa rin ba siya?" 

Desang bit her lip.

"Sir Jose, kahit man maging mahal ko siya, hindi ko na magiging kasalanan kung di niya ako mahal."

Jose reached for Ev's hand; Ev took it. 

He was gentler with Jose. A part of Desang bled for what she had lost and pined for. But a part of Desang was happy.

"As Ev's ex, I'd very much want to ask for your blessing."

Desang nodded.

"You do," she admitted.

*

Poleng tried her best to hide her glee. 

"So what am I here for?" Torres asked. He grinned sheepishly. "Did I win the pitch?"

Ramon turned to look around. 

"You know very well, Mr. Torres, that you are wrong."

The sudden elation jumped between Poleng's ribs. It did make sense. She had seen Ramon Mamon Babachingching Soriano's reactions to the pitch presentation. 

"Mr. Soriano, Miss Centida will escort you to the pantry for refreshments," said Mr. Bonifacio. Mr. Soriano smiled coldly and departed with Miss Centida. He slipped one Airpod in one ear.

"Yes, babe? Ah sorry, I had a presentation and meeting."

The door closed shut.

Sir Andoy cleared his throat.

"We received a case filed by your teammate. Sexual harassment charge siya."

Torres scowled.

"It's baseless. I never did anything to that bitch!"

Sir Ricarte cleared his throat.

"We received the report and case she built last Friday lang. Mr. Aguinaldo, Mr. Bonifacio and Mr. Del Pilar as well as Ms. Hernando and I have reviewed the case over the weekend."

Poleng beamed at the mention of her name. "Mr. Del Pilar and I assisted Miss Reyes with her case."

Torres swallowed.

"She has given proof and a testimony about what you did to her," Poleng continued. She was enjoying this. "She also gave us video footage of what happened that day. She testified that earlier, you called her  _ honey _ over your chat with her in Google Hangouts. She also said, you went to the smoking area and touched her in her butt."

Greg nodded at Poleng. She could imagine how nervous he was. He had spent months working on this. But it was really Addie who did the most for this.

"Miss Reyes also reported that her case is not the first and she was not the only one." Mr. Bonifacio frowned. "She was able to ask others to come forward."

Torres paled.

"We have received signed testimonies and video footage. Your charges were more serious than we thought." Ricarte sighed.

"Since this company has no existing policies on sexual harassment and assault," Poleng began, "I am helping with this case. I have also drafted with Mr. Del Pilar HR policies on such cases."

Sir Andoy stood up. He took off his glasses.

"As the founder of Notio Studios, I am disappointed to see na… yung charges ay totoo." His voice cracked. "As the husband of a sexual assault survivor, di ko na kaya ioverlook ito. Lahat ng evidence ay totoo at verified. Even if wala tayong official policy on such cases, covered pa rin ito ng RA 9262, as Mr. Mabini and Mr. Enriquez have told me."

Torres paled.

"Mr. Isidoro Torres, your employment is terminated immediately on the grounds of sexual harassment and assault. Due to your termination, you are no longer eligible for the position of Notio Studios Content Head."

Greg grinned.

"So we will be hiring more, no?" 

Andoy nodded. 

"We'll need new members ng Creative Team since Miss Reyes will no longer be a Copywriter."

Poleng knew what he meant.

"Graphic designer, copywriter, video editor, social media manager," Greg rattled off. "Di na natin kaya po, Sir, if iisa lang Multimedia Artist tapos pang iisang trabaho bayad natin."

Miong frowned but Andoy nodded.

"Sige. You can post na for hiring yan."

Greg nodded.

Ricarte's nose twitched.

"So… si Reyes?"

"Mr. Soriano was impressed with her." Andoy smiled. He had personally hired her. "I enjoyed her content plan. She has the work ethic for it."

"Hindi ba hassle dahil isa siyang babae?"

Andoy turned to Greg.

"Del Pilar, please also book a schedule within this month and the next as urgent na this whole workplace will undergo Gender Sensitivity and A SOGIE workshop. I will ask my wife if she can facilitate."

Andoy turned to Ricarte.

"Mr. Ricarte, di na po tayo nakatira sa may Dark Ages. Tama na itong  _ it's a man's world _ kemerlu. I will have none of it." 

"I-announce na po namin sino Content Head?" Greg was bent over his Mac. He was posting the hiring ads all over Jobstreet, Indeed and LinkedIn. 

"Yes. Sa boards and via email." 

Andoy turned to Poleng.

"Miss Hernando, it's been a pleasure working with you."

She took his hand and shook it.

"Likewise po."

*

"Ano next move mo?" Gail asked.

Corang shrugged.

"Di ba ikaw ang nagsabi kulang ho ako sa asin?"

"Tama nga." Gail smiled. "Mas matretrain ka sa iisang full-time na trabaho."

Corang bit her lip.

"That… that is the sad truth."

*

Poleng's phone rang as she moved out of the presentation room. She answered it while her free hand held her Starbucks coffee.

"Musta, bitch?" 

From the other end of the line, her twin answered. She was cackling.

"Nagpropose si Paulito last week."

"Congrats, bitch! Me party ka ba diyan?"

Esteng giggled.

"Oo naman, Ate." Her voice dropped. "Ate, by the way, bakit pala hindi kita macontact diyan sa may Aptiview?"

"Nasa may Notio Studios ako ngayon e."

"Ah. Oks. I'll call later. Pakisabi na rin ke Dels na invited siya sa pa-party ko. Tell her to bring a date naman o o mangrereto ba talaga ako."

"Oo naman. Sige. I'll see you."

Torres tapped on her arm. 

"Miss Hernando, can't you overturn yung claims against him?" 

She held up her coffee. 

"You know naman beri well na I can't do that." She moved closer.

Then she splashed the remains of her coffee on him. Hot brown liquid spilled on his gray polo and brown trousers.

He blinked.

"That's for me and all the girls na pinagmanyakan mo."

She walked away, feeling quite pleased with herself. Her work here was done. 

*

She was glad Ev and Jose didn't have to see her once the shift ended. They could be together and be happy.

Desang was quiet as she changed in the lockers, from her uniform to her more casual clothes. Her gait was slow.

This day laid heavy on her shoulders. Her mood was down. And she knew why.

She took a seat at the taxi bay, when she saw her black leggings darkened, by the fall of liquid. When she rubbed an eye, the tears started flowing freely. 

_ Hindi ko naman kasalanan na hindi na niya ako mahal. _

Her shoulders started to shake.  _ Sino nga ba hindi pangarap na magmahal at mahalin?  _

To love. To be loved back. That was what Ev wanted. And he had it. But now, she no longer had him. 

_ Life is a race and I intend to win it _ , Addie had told Desang once. True enough, she had barely answered Desang's calls and texts. She did follow her up on Messenger that she was busier than ever. She really would be the quintessential career woman, was she? 

Desang knew… she wanted more. 

She wanted to love, too. To be cherished. It would not lay upon her to wish Ev and Jose ill because of this pain. The pain bloomed in her chest like a flower.

She cried, her tears free now. This was for the three years she ached. This was for the pining. This was for her tomfoolery at love. She cried, for every pain and hope she had pored on Ev, for every bitterness and ache when she claimed she had let him go.

Maybe Ricky Lee was right. Maybe there really was a quota for love. In one out of five people, only one person would be truly happy and have their Happily Ever After in love.

She answered her phone.

"Vio?" 

"Yo, Des." He was chipper. "Galing akong Cubao. Oks lang ba sunduin kita jan?"

"O-Oo." She sniffed. Blew her nose on dilapidated tissue.

"Anyare sa iyo? Me kelangan ba akong awayin?"

"Wala…"

"Sige, libre kita Starbucks at dinner bago uwi. Oks ba sa iyo?"

Desang nodded. She bit her lip and nodded once more. 

*

Vince accompanied her back to her side of the office. 

Torres fixed her with a malevolent stare. He was packing his things now. There were coffee stains on his shirt.

"Kasalanan mo ito, Reyes!" he spat. 

"Gusto mo ba suntukin ko siya?" Vince asked. 

Addie laughed. 

"Kaya ko na ito," she assured him, and gave his forearm an affectionate squeeze. She walked towards Torres with no more sense of fear, her head held high. 

"Bakit mo ba finile yung charges sa akin?"

"Di ko siyang kayang palampasin." She smiled sweetly. "Alam mo, dapat pala ito ang matagal ko nang ginawa sa iyo."

She punched him in the face. 

"PUTANGINA, ANG SAKIT NUN!"

The hubbub in the office lessened, then erupted into excited clapping. 

Greg popped his head out of the presentation room.

"Addie, tawag ka nila sa loob."

Vince smiled sheepishly. 

"Good luck."

"Dinner tayo mamaya," she replied. 

"Sige."

She walked inside the presentation office and closed the door.


	14. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is connected to everyone else.

Corang would not have known it - if it were not for the engagement ring on Celeste’s finger. She and Vesper had arrived quite early at Friuli UP Town Center; the mall was near Vesper’s place. Gail was already there; she was munching happily on pasta, her beautiful hair put up.

Vesper herself had made herself up. She’d put on lip tint on her cheeks and some concealer and just red lipstick, while Corang put her hair up and wore nude lipstick and graphic eyeliner Vesper had put on for her. 

Celeste’s fiance was a soft-spoken and comely young man. He was wearing a greige shirt over black pants. His fiancee looked ravishing in blue, her lips painted mauve and false lashes attached to her natural ones, with some minimal contour. 

“You must be Corang,” he said, after introducing himself as  _ Paulo Piqueras _ . Corang nodded and shook his hand. “Esteng told me a lot about you.”

She and Vesper took the seat next to Gail.

*

More guests arrived. Renowned thespian Evaristo Ortiz pushed the wheelchair of his partner, Professor Jose Alejandrino. Accompanying them was plump-cheeked Ramon Soriano, an executive of the Lichauco Tech Ventures. All of them wore black suits. 

The three of them congratulated Celeste on her marriage. 

“Di ko madadala yung aking boyfriend dito,” Ramon grunted almost grudgingly.

Celeste barely batted a lash.

“Busy pa rin siya?”

Ramon sighed.

“Kinain ulit siya ng trabaho niya sa Ilocos.”

“Send my regards na lang to him,” Esteng surmised. “It’s understandable, naman, Monching.”

“Oh well.”

He scowled.

Ev looked around, scanning faces. “Esteng, ininvite mo ba si Desang?”

“I did.”

“Nagconfirm ba siya?”

“Yes, she did say may Plus One siya.” Esteng laughed. “Don’t worry too much, Sir, baka late siya as usual, kasi matrapik usually sa area niya.”

Ev looked relieved.

“Okay.”

*

It was Adela Reyes who took the wheel on the way to the venue. She drove Vince’s car, looking absolutely immaculate while doing it. Corang blushed, when she saw the older woman step inside, followed by her  _ tisoy _ companion. 

She wore her hair down like Sansa Stark did in  _ Game of Thrones _ Season 1, her amber skin glowing against her white halter dress. She wore her pearl drop earrings and lined lips, sporting a pair of natural lashes and some contour and minimal peach blush. Her companion held her hand, as he followed him.

When Ev saw her, he waved at her.

“Dels! Long time no see!”

“Amang! Tay!” 

Her voice softened, and she moved to their direction. She gave Ev a big hug, as well as Jose. Her date trailed behind her, looking quite pleased with the quaint reunion.

Ev looked at her date.

Adela blushed.

“Ah. Tay, Amang, meet Vince.”

“Vicente Enriquez. The fourth.” He laughed. Held out a hand. “I work sa legal department ng Notio Studios.”

Ev and Jose exchanged glances.

“I’m Addie’s boyfriend.”

Ev  _ giggled _ , Jose sighed. A sign of more  _ ubans _ to pop up, no doubt. “Alagaan mo siya, ah, hijo.”

“Opo naman! Inupdate na po ba kayo ni Addie?” Addie blushed. 

“Ah, bakit?”

“Nanalo siya ng pitch para sa kanyang work.”

*

Last to arrive, in all-black and in a vampy lip, was Despoena Quila and her date, businessman Savio Ferron.

She congratulated Celeste Hernando and her fiance Paulo Piqueras in a small voice and dropped by Jose Alejadrino’s table.

She was also the first to leave the party. 


	15. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life was a race, she told herself. And she was just starting to win it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, guys. It's the end. 
> 
> I'd like to thank first of all, Manang Ry for enabling, beta-ing and helping me write this AU in ways both big and small, and secondly, to the NSFW Lunasona GC for being my audience. We're small, but the reactions and comments on this story have given me nothing but happiness and confidence to keep writing, even if it's for a few number of people. 
> 
> Just imagine the Working Girls theme song plays in this chapter LOL

First thing in the morning, Addie checked the vision board.  _ Promotion. Condo unit. Financial freedom _ . She marked the  _ Promotion _ post-it off. A quick shower, and then her new makeup routine. 

She applied BB cream on her face, concealer, bronzer and then powder. She put on a rosy nude shade of lipstick over her lips. Brown eyeliner, and then a gentle coat of mascara. Blow-dry her hair. Then she put on her collared dress on. 

She went to work on her hand-me-down car, gently easing through traffic. 

It was at 7:30 that she arrived, spotting her boyfriend’s car in the parking lot. When she spotted him in the office, she gave him a big hug, after he gave her hot coffee; he’d gotten his own.

"Date tayo sa Sunday?" Vince asked, putting his mug to his mouth. He took a gentle sip.

"Oo naman."

"Oks. Will mark it on my calendar."

It was surprising how fast things were moving, but for now, Addie hoped in time, she could eventually introduce him to her family as her _boyfriend_. They'd been together for a week now. And she'd never felt so assured with him by her side. She had forgotten what it was like to be without fear. 

It was at 9 o’ clock that her day finally began in the presentation room. She was with the big shots now here: she was first to be here.

Artemio Ricarte followed, with Sir Andoy, Sir Miong. 

“Good morning to everyone, especially Miss Reyes,” Sir Andoy declared. He was in a good mood today. “Better yet, I should say, our new Content Head. I wanted to personally welcome you here today, Miss Reyes.”

Addie smiled coolly.

“Thank you po, Mr. Bonifacio. You may now proceed.” 

Life was a race, she told herself. And she was just starting to win it: a new boyfriend, a promotion. 

*

Just a dab of purple lip tint after her shower, Desang was done. She booked her Angkas from her phone, waiting for him in her nurse uniform.

Life was a caravan. And she had little time to mourn for what was lost to her. Life was all about falling seven times and standing up an eighth time. She did not have a boyfriend, but for all she did not have, she had Vio, she had Addie, she had Celeste and Poleng, and most of all, she had her patients, who she took care of and who needed her more than ever. 

The Angkas arrived in ten minutes. He got off his motorcycle. Handed her her mask and a hairnet, which she promptly put. 

“Ma’am, san po exactly?”

“Sa East Avenue Medical Center. Malapit siya dun sa may Philippine Heart Center. I can guide you naman e,” Desang replied curtly. 

“Sige po, Ma’am.”

The driver handed her a helmet. She put it on and adjusted it. 

She got on the motorcycle; the man did a double take on her.

“Ma’am, ayos lang po ba kayo?”

“Bakit?”

She put her hand on his vest.

“Mej namumula po mata ninyo.”

She shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

“Ok po.”

They left the house.

Another typical day, another shift. _Di nga talaga biro maging nurse_. 

*

Corang did think of Sisang today, as she clumsily rode the jeepney from Project 4, making a stop at Pedro Pelaez, then waiting for another jeepney at the footbridge connecting Pedro Pelaez to St. Ignatius. Within a few minutes, she was able to secure a ride that took her to Eastwood.

It was Sisang’s advice she was taking. Maybe Sisang did know some good here, after all. And maybe it was for the better. Working with slow pre-loved gadgets sucked sometimes, after all. Gail had helped her prepare herself for this: she’d lent Corang her green button-down shirt and gray slacks. She’d slipped on her white sneakers. In her backpack, she had her portfolio. The ride was quick, but prone to some hassles and delays due to the occasional traffic. Eastwood was new territory to her. 

The office was easy to locate.  _ Notio Studios _ , Esteng and Gail had told Corang the night of the engagement party,  _ hiring sila sa Creative Team nila _ . Eulogio Rodriguez was a long road, but hey, Corang made it. Notio Studios was established enough, plus they were really one of the best in the industry. Gail had said that they worked 8-5/9-6, with their weekends off and intact. No working on holidays as well. That suited Corang enough; she wanted to see Vesper. 

A handsome young man with an ID labeled HR, let her in.

“Ako po si Corang Querubin,” Corang told him, and he led her inside. “Nag-apply ako as a Graphic Designer.”

The office was separated into small cubicles. It was also well-ventilated. The people here, she noticed, looked happy, contented. One _morena_ was eating piaya with gusto. In the Creatives' side of the office, one of the cubicles was empty, save for the computer. On another cubicle, it was... _filled_.

A photo of a _tisoy_ young man with a pretty _morena_ who had dimples was framed. And of course, a Torchic plush. The calendar was tacked with post-its. 

“I’m Greg Del Pilar, the HR of Notio Studios,” Greg told her. “Iinterviewhin kita for the role. After me, mafoforward ka sa may Content/Creative Head namin.” He grinned. “Actually, first time dito magkaron ng babaeng team leader, so it’s a big deal here. We’re also having our first Gender Sensitivity as well as SOGIE seminar.”

“Oh.”

Corang blinked.

“If you work here, siya magiging boss mo and mentor.”

As the door closed for the beginning of her preliminary interview, Corang smiled. For the first time in a few months, she had a good feeling about this.

**The End.**


End file.
